Return to the Land of Mists
by Ducky the most evil Swimmer
Summary: One year after the events of the tv-series, Ali's herd once again visits the Great Valley - and of course Rhett is still with them, still seeing Ali as a potential love interest. Littlefoot also begins to realize his feelings for the girl. This results in a grave conflict which ends up sending all of them back to the dangerous Valley of Mists...
1. Prologue

**Return to the Land of Mists**

Prologue:

_"__Oh, I can't wait!"_

With a cheerful expression, the lavender coloured longneck cast a glance ahead. Under the sinking afternoon light, the distant mountains glowed invitingly and that sight, most welcome after days of numbing travel across hostile and eventless wastelands, told her that the destination of their migration would finally be reached today.

"What are you gazing about, Ali?" A beige coloured longneck, a young adolescent like her, piped up as he caught up to the distracted female.

"Oh, hello Rhett," Ali greeted the male absentmindedly. Even though he was quite a douche, the boy was the closest to a friend Ali had in her migratory herd. It was reason enough to put up with him even though her true circle of friends was residing just where they were headed to.

"It's just a dumb valley, y'know?" Rhett mentioned casually, his smug, casually flirty look resting on the girl. Rhett never tried to hide his romantic interest in the girl, rejection upon rejection not dissuading him in the slightest. Bold tales and actions didn't seem to work on Ali (anymore) and the idiotic girl only ever had that dumb flathead from the Valley on her mind, not noticing his worth at all. But it didn't discern him from trying.

"Shut your mouth, Rhett," Ali deadpanned, demonstratively turning around to give him a cold shoulder, although it didn't seem to bother the boy.

"Looking forward to seeing that dumbass again, huh?" the boy continued with mocking words, pissing his friend off even further.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, just bugger off, idiot!" Ali was fuming, whirling around and glaring at the blunt boy. "Once we are there, you better behave, Rhett!"

"Relax, Ali, I would never think of misbehaving," Rhett said in a placatory manner, though Ali didn't buy it.

"Just leave me alone…"

Rhett shrugged and strolled away lest he anger the girl any further but this wouldn't be the last time he'd try to talk the lavender girl out of falling for that softie from the Valley. Yes, he would show Ali soon enough how awesome he truly was.

Ali sighed as she was once again alone. By tomorrow, she would meet Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike as well as their new friends. For about half a cycle of the Night Circle, she'd get a rare respite from her ordinary life, a life she was growing tired of rapidly… Only a few more hours and they would arrive at the Great Valley.

* * *

_"__Oh, what a nice day this has been!"_

Littlefoot merrily jogged through the densely populated valley that he called home, the Great Valley. It was evening and the young, adolescent boy was just on his way home from playing games with his bunch of friends. Eventually, the young longneck had forged his way through wide meadows, green jungle and the broad river that was the source of the Valley's fertility.

"Hello Grandma, good evening Grandpa!" the boy called as he barged into the clearing where their nest was located.

"Good evening, Littlefoot," the two elderly longnecks replied with a look of joy on their faces. "Had a good day?"

"You bet!" the boy answered merrily.

His grandfather gave a chuckle. "That is good to know, Littlefoot. Grandma and I are glad that you are having so much fun each day. It certainly seems that it helps you grow."

Littlefoot grinned proudly. Since the last Cold Time, his size had more than doubled and similar effects could be seen on his friends as they all entered the Time of Great Growing. It nevertheless didn't stop them from playing games and being jolly and silly as usual.

"Yeah, seems like it," he replied. "How about you two? Did you have a good day too?"

"Yes, Littlefoot, quite so," his grandmother answered his inquiry with a friendly smile.

"Actually, Littlefoot, we received some news today which you might find intriguing to hear," his grandfather mentioned, some youthful mirth apparent on his features.

"Oh, what is it, grandpa? Please tell me!" Littlefoot exclaimed in excitement. "It's not dad's time to come visit us already, is it?"

"Haha, oh no, certainly not!" His grandpa chuckled at his grandson's curiosity.

"But your guess isn't far off, Littlefoot," his grandmother chimed in mystically.

"Oh?" _Not too far off…_ Littlefoot quickly brainstormed what other good news might be related to the arrival of his dad's herd – which obviously wasn't going to happen, but maybe something similar? Was his dad coming without the herd? No, even if that were the case, his grandparents wouldn't leave him hanging like that and, besides, his dad's visit wasn't due before the end of the next cold time. Why would he come here now? Unless it was an emergency, it didn't make any sense at all! No it had to be something else…

_"__So it must be another herd coming which I know…"_ His brain was working extra shifts. What other herds did he know? Surely, there couldn't be that many… _"__Oh…"_ That was when it clicked in his mind. A face he hadn't seen in a long time suddenly appeared in front of his inner eye, involuntarily making him smile awkwardly.

"Ali's – I mean, Old One's herd?!" Littlefoot's questioning stare wandered from one grandparent to the other; both were nodding firmly, rejoicing in the excitement and joy that their grandson was suddenly expressing.

"No way! A-are they really coming? When?!" His abrupt ecstasy earned the young longneck some more chuckles on his expense.

"The scouting flyers confirmed their arrival for this evening so you should be able to go see your friend about now," his grandfather explained matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you'd let me go?! Even though it's already late?" The surprise couldn't be greater.

"Of course, go see your friend if you wish," his grandmother spoke warmly. Littlefoot rejoiced.

"Yaaaaaaaaay!" Hopping up and down, he exclaimed. "THANK YOU!" More subdued, he then added. "Why are you letting me though?"

"Well, you are growing," his grandpa answered awkwardly. "We believe it is about time that we stop treating you like a child, who is a danger to himself."

"You are entering the Time of Great Growing, dear, we cannot keep you safe forever so you will need to learn depending on yourself," his grandmother explained calmly.

"Yes, and going home late, finding your way back in the dark is a first step… although there are no dangers to fear here in the Great Valley…" Suddenly, the old male's expression changed from that of a teacher to that of a comedian. "Besides…" Littlefoot could feel the mirthful glance resting on his features. "We figured you young ones would just sneak out at night anyway so we might as well allow it while having a little faith in you lot; don't do something stupid though."

"Gee, thanks, you two," Littlefoot announced with a slightly bashful look which soon turned into a chuckle. "Well, I'll be off then!" The boy was about to run off when a last question entered his mind. "Umm, where would I likely find Ali?"

"The herd should have arrived at the main entrance into the Valley," his grandpa answered promptly with a kind smile; it was enough for Littlefoot to know where he had to go.

"Thanks! Seeya later!" he called before dashing off, excitement and joy as well as strange sense of freedom running through his veins. Would he really get to talk to his friend though or would she be too tired from the long journey and sleeping as soon as they arrived?

* * *

_"__There they are!"_

It didn't take the boy too long to locate the huge herd of longnecks. The Bright Circle had disappeared while he'd been talking to his grandparents but there was still more than sufficient light, the evening colours making everything from trees to rocks to dinosaurs around him shine in mysterious hues and shades. Just as he had thought, the herd of longnecks hadn't wandered far from the entrance into the valley, settling down at the first suitable area they encountered. At the edge of the valley, reaching all the way up to the higher elevations grew a secluded forest, stretching a little way into the walls – a small valley within the Valley. A side branch of the big river that fed the whole valley precious water to sustain its marvelous vegetation - their little paradise, was reaching all the way out here and that was where more than a hundred large figures were residing. Some could be seen resting or sleeping, some were talking to fellow herd members and many others were engaged in restoring their nutrients in a fulfilling feast, spreading all the way out into the forest.

Littlefoot hid in a bush on a small hill on the opposite side and tried to observe the herd, his objective to figure out where Ali might or might not be. His gaze cast across each and every longneck in the minutes to follow, however the Bright Circle continued to sink further below the horizon, dwindling his light source and his chances to spot the fellow child.

_"__Just where might she be?"_ Soon, he managed to spot their leader, Old One, as everyone called the old and, supposedly, wise longneck, although none of his past experiences with her had given him any hint of the existence of such wisdom yet. Much to his disdain, he also recognized a longneck he'd rather have overlooked.

_"__Rhett… so that braggart is still with them? Though he is not with Ali, strange…"_ During Ali's previous visit, Ali had been all eyes and ears for Rhett and his made up stories so it had taken a devious plan and a lot of trouble to uncover his false deeds. Rhett had played with them sometimes afterwards, however he had never become friendly with any of them; and it wasn't hard to tell that Rhett held a grudge against them for uncovering his lies and schemes. Needless to say, Littlefoot wasn't too happy to see him though at least we wasn't squirming around Ali like a blood-sucking insect this time – at least for now… Would he still be strutting around the lavender-coloured girl whom he really liked, getting in the way of their short reunion again?

_"__Come to think of it, shouldn't Ali be near him?"_ Littlefoot scanned the immediate surrounding area more thoroughly than before though the result remained the same. Ali was nowhere to be found.

_"__Just where might she be?"_ Littlefoot was at a loss; how should he find her within this sheer mass of adult longnecks? Or did something happen to her? No, Littlefoot didn't even want to consider the mere inkling of such a thought. To calm his trembling nerves, he took his stare off the herd for once and turned it to the reddish-pink sky which turned more and more towards blue and violet hues. A single blinky light began to pop up on the sky as daylight progressively faded with the retreat of the mighty Circle. More and more longnecks concluded their feasts on the Valley's rich treestars and various other delicate foods and sat down to rest and sleep – normally, it was about this time of the day when he'd better run home fast too. Ever so grateful for his new freedom, for it gave him a faint chance to speak to Ali, Littlefoot returned to the task at hand. Suppressing a yawn, a refreshed his focus and pondered.

_"__If she isn't anywhere to be found here, I've gotta check inside the forest!"_ The view into the forest was very limited, for it extended quite a distance into the very outskirts of his home. Given that he hadn't seen her in the open and the bordering parts of the forest, odds weren't too low that he might find her inside if he went looking for her there, although it meant leaving his outlook to mingle with many strangers. It seemed like his only chance though. Not wasting any more time, he entered a jog at a decent pace, hurrying in order to be able to rely on the last remaining rays of light. Before long, he found himself inside the dark forest, trees standing tight but only in some places, allowing grown-ups to pass through. Without hesitation, he mixed with them, pretending to belong to them as he sharpened his ears to filter out several conversations nearby…

**"… ****can't wait to meet Littlefoot tomorrow!"**

The boy stopped immediately, his heart beating tightly in his chest as he tried to locate the voice which was so unmistakably Ali's.

_"__Left of me..."_ The purple-gray longneck whirled around. A few trees were growing in front of his eyes, blocking some of the view, but the most important, most recognizable part of his friend – her head with those engaging blue eyes and that dreamy smile as she was caught in memories of him, was clearly visible through a gap in the foliage. His face was brightening as if the Bright Circle had decided to skip to morning time right away. The boy didn't hesitate; entering a swift sprint, only slowing when the lavender-coloured longneck came into view in her full glory. Considering that his fast advance must have caused quite a ruckus, it didn't surprise the young longneck in the slightest when the girl turned around to face him, her surprised gaze, her beautiful eyes, shining blue like a crystal, meeting those of his own. Ali recognized him immediately and her face grew a big smile.

"Littlefoot!" Ali leapt forward, dropping whatever she had been chewing on, and closed the remaining distance between them with a single move. In a wild approach, perhaps a little too wild, Ali ran up to Littlefoot and greeted him with an overjoyed nuzzle.

"Ali!" Littlefoot laughed, returning the greeting gesture just as lively once he had gotten over the initial surprise and awkwardness – her mother was watching after all. "So good to see you!" he shouted loudly with no regard to the other longnecks around which was met by Ali's friendly, even slightly cute smile. It was in many ways a much happier reunion than the previous year's. _"So Ali is no longer following Rhett after all, huh?"_ It was a logical conclusion of Ali's happy reaction quite as opposed to the previous visit though Littlefoot was simply too happy at that moment to bother asking about something as annoying as Rhett, simply rejoicing in the moment.

"Have you been looking for me?" Ali asked with an innocent chuckle; their faces were only inches apart.

"W-well," Littlefoot replied, slightly nervous and shaky due to the sheer excitement and joy. "I just got news that you were here visiting our Valley so…I… thought I'd say hello and uhh invite you to play with everyone tomorrow?"

Ali's gaze craned around to face the tall form of her mother casually observing the exchange. "May I?" Littlefoot bowed slightly and smiled politely when the grown-up's eyes rested upon him.

"Of course," she replied eventually with a tired voice which was an obvious leftover of the hardships travel brought along. "But now you must eat up and rest."

"Sure mum," Ali tweeted happily, turning back to Littlefoot with a smile.

"Count me in tomorrow!"

Littlefoot's eyes widened significantly as Ali promised to play with them tomorrow. Not risking disturbing the small family of two any longer, he cut things short now.

"I'll come pick you up tomorrow, let's make this a surprise for the others too!" he exclaimed merrily.

"Sure!" Ali laughed; that seemed like a splendid idea indeed.

"Good night then!" Littlefoot announced, bowing once again in front of Ali's mother politely before he dashed off with a grin wider than his face could contain.

"See you tomorrow, Littlefoot! I can't waiiiiit!" Ali yelled just before the boy disappeared behind the vegetation.

* * *

With a happy, squirmy feeling, the boy made his way back home in no time, darkness and a slight sleepiness no enemies for the growing child. Just looking forward to the games with Ali and his friends could be enough to keep him running for the whole night if only he had a mind to do it. However, Littlefoot knew the value of a good night's rest so he took no detours on his trip back home. Just before his eyes fell shut in the shadow of his snoring grandparents (had they really trusted him enough to go to sleep without waiting for his return?), his mind pictured the goggling faces of his friends when Ali would walk up beside him tomorrow. It surely was an amusing thought. One last time, he thought of all the happy faces Ali had made just earlier before he drifted off to sleep under the watchful eyes of the moon and the many stars. Tomorrow would be a great day.

Or so he thought.

* * *

**This will be my Fanfiction Prompt Challenge response for the months Jan-June on the Gang of Five Land Before Time forum. A medium length story which will adapt all 6 monthly prompts during that time interval somewhere along the line. This chapter does not cover any prompt but the next chapter should cover the January prompt.**

**I had a really hard time deciding how to call this story since it has many themes which I could have build it upon. I'm still not sure if this title is the best but for now consider it final :)**

**So this story is set roughly one year after the tv-series and about half a year after LBT 14, assuming that movie happened after the events of the series and assuming the series all happened within the span of a year. They are entering the time of Great Growing which allows for some interesting developments.**

**This story may show some similarities to Shorty's Dark Past simply due to the fact that it is also developing the relationship between Littlefoot and Ali but under a completely different setting and with a completely different obstacle. Rhett still hasn't given up on Ali...**

**For some reason, I had a really literate moment while proofreading so the middle part got a lot longer and the writing and description ended up much better I believe. Let me know what you think (what do you think might be happening? Why will they return to the Valley of Mists as the title suggests? Questions... bring them on! Though I won't spoil the answers, obviously ;) )**

**Hope you enjoyed this little introduction. The next chapter should be ready by the end of the month :)**


	2. Chapter 1 - Rhett's Scheme

**So... here's a funny situation: I had to split up the chapter into two due to extreme length xD Thus, I shall upload two chapters at once. They are quite related to each other so feel free to review them as one if you wish :)**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**** Rhett's scheme**

Littlefoot woke up early at the first hint of light; too excited he was to go back to sleep, too strong his anticipation of the coming days with Ali. As soon as his grandparents rose from their sleep, he stormed off towards the place where her herd was residing.

This time, it took him much less time to find the fellow young adolescent longneck, who was just in the process of waking up when he arrived. Happily, he strolled over.

"Good morning!" Littlefoot called with enthusiasm, catching Ali's slightly dazed gaze.

"Hello Littlefoot," the girl greeted him while shaking off the sleepiness which still clung to her body. "You sure are an early-riser."

"Not really, haha," Littlefoot said in defence as their noses touched in a greeting gesture, both chuckling awkwardly as they were performing it. "It's just that I was excited about today so I woke up earlier than usual!" he explained with a mischievous grin.

"I see," Ali replied, clearly amused by her friend's statement - if she hadn't been so exhausted from the long journey, she might have very well ended up with similar symptoms.

***gurgle***

Littlefoot awkwardly looked down on himself as his stomach made itself known to everyone present. He'd even skipped breakfast in order to get to see his friends as soon as possible. As if on command, Ali's stomach chimed in on the belly grumbling as well, although hers wasn't roaring quite as profoundly. Their sheepish grins met halfway.

"Well, well, I think too little longnecks haven't had breakfast yet," Ali's mother said, amused, which prompted another chuckle from the two friends.

"We'll have some on the way, right Ali?" the boy proposed, high spirited, as he didn't want to waste any more precious time eating than absolutely necessary.

"Mhmm!" Ali hummed happily. "Can we go, mum?"

"Sure, just make sure to check back with me at noon," she replied kindly. "Old One said we'll go look for a more central area but I'll go pick you up here later to show you where we end up settling down."

"Need some suggestions?" Littlefoot offered but the grown-up politely declined.

"Oh no thanks, Littlefoot, we'll be fine."

"Okay!" Littlefoot gave the grown-up a smile

"Seeya later, mum!" Ali exclaimed before the wo young longnecks left the clearing.

* * *

A pair of eyes was following the two friends' every step with a frown.

_"__Didn't even ask me, that girl… what a downer…"_ The beige-coloured longneck spat on the ground in annoyance and disgust as his gaze lingered on the boy next to his Ali - Littlefoot, wasn't it? He didn't need to blur the facts; Rhett hated Littlefoot for more than one reason but the main drive to despise him lay in the fact that he was friends with the girl he admired and loved… and Ali was paying him no heed anymore now that she had another boy to replace him. Rhett didn't know what he was doing wrong but for some reason Ali, despite his thorough efforts at courtship, didn't seem interested in extending their friendship to a closer type of relationship which he yearned for so desperately… and yet she readily fell for that Littlefoot guy's cheap pick up lines and his puny build, his annoying, goofy face. Who'd want to be with someone like him anyway? Why didn't Ali see how handsome he truly was?

_"__If I can't win her that way, I'll have to show her that I'm the better guy around and remove the annoying threat to our love!"_Rhett smirked. He'd have to make painfully sure that Ali'd like him. ONLY him. He had to make sure that this Littlefoot guy learned his place very soon. Naturally, sulking about the unfortunate situation didn't get the rock rolling, so to speak, so Rhett began working on a plan as he began to follow the duo in secret.

_"__I'll pretend to be nice for now but I'll make my move very soon… maybe even today…" _A foul smirk worked itself up his facial muscles. Yes, he would put up with these weirdos Ali was friends with, them and their weirdo games, for a while for the sake of his agenda. An annoying necessity. Torn between his determination and annoyance, Rhett continued to follow quietly as his scheme took form…

* * *

"Want some berries?"

"Sure!"

Ali smiled as the boy offered her a grape of sweet-sour-tasting blueberries which he had plucked from a berry bush which they had just come to pass by. As the two longnecks wandered through the Great Valley, with the intention to reach the designated meeting place where his unsuspecting friends would be waiting for his arrival, he gave Ali somewhat of a culinary tour, a treestar here, a treesweet there. Ali really enjoyed it. The two young longnecks had been exchanging some news as they travelled through the heart of the valley, talking about their respective adventures, places Ali had been to none of which Littlefoot had ever heard about, Rhett having returned to his old self as soon as they'd left the Valley… However, slowly but surely they were approaching the designated meeting point in a secluded forest at the edge of the valley - but on the very opposite of the main entrance where they had come from. Now, with their bellies rather full and pleased, Littlefoot decided that it was time to introduce Ali to his plan regarding the surprise of her visit.

"We're almost there now, Ali," he announced eventually in a merry spirit. "The others should be unaware of your visit so let's give them a great surprise!"

"Yeah, count me in!" Ali laughed happily. "Can't wait to see them all again, see?"

"And I can't wait to see their faces when they see you!" Littlefoot rejoiced in the mere thought of it. How surprised he had been the other day when he learned about her arrival - and he hadn't even seen her in person when he got the news… His friends would be exposed to the full-fledged surprise! "Let's go!"

It only took them a minute until the forest came into view, the chit-chat of Ducky and Cera reaching their ears. Littlefoot began explaining the details with a subdued voice.

"Keep your head low from now on, hide behind those tall bushes. I'll signal you when it's okay to come out, okay?"

"Okay!" Ali confirmed with a firm, happy nod.

"I'll go greet them now, see you in a moment, Ali!"

"Sure!" Ali tweeted quietly with a happy smile; she could hardly contain her excitement about seeing, talking and playing with everyone again - although being all alone with Littlefoot also had its merits. Trembling with anticipation, the girl hunkered down behind a group of bushes and waited for Littlefoot's signal, listening in on the talk that was unfolding in the clearing in front of her where everyone was gathered.

* * *

"Oh, there he is!"

"Yeah, it him!"

"Eeeeeeeeee!"

"Finally!"

Littlefoot's arrival was already greatly anticipated as the not so little forms of Ducky and Petrie came into view, shorty followed by a dosing Spike who perked up upon his arrival and a bored Cera resting on her usual rock perch. Ducky and Petrie immediately came approaching him from the ground and the air, respectively, and Littlefoot greeted them happily. Spike got up from the spot in the grass where the light of the Bright Circle shone through the small leaks on the green foliage above them and licked the longneck across the face as he always did. Cera, meanwhile, remained on her rock, her expression hard to read though Littlefoot sensed a sharp look on him when he wasn't looking.

"Hi guys!" Littlefoot finally announced once he was done reacting to the jolly greeting, chuckling happily.

"Where the hell have you been…" the threehorn interrogated immediately, drawing out each word to put some emphasis on it.

"Yes, why are you so late today, huh?" Ducky asked in a more friendly and polite manner than the threehorn did. Littlefoot smiled at the swimmer. His gaze wandered from Petrie who had taken a perch on his (according to Cera) flat head to Cera and Spike who were eyeing him with resent and sleepy curiosity, respectively.

"I'm sorry for being late but, you see…" His smile grew broader by the second." On my way here I met someone - we had a lot to talk about…" Now even Cera's glare turned into an expression of mild, if subdued, curiosity. With a wink, Littlefoot gestured over to the bushes where Ali was hiding. Upon receiving the signal, there was movement in the vegetation, everyone gasping and even Spike now fully awake and paying attention. Then, the all too familiar face of Ali with her unmistakably blue eyes and her genuine, kind smile broke through the wall of green, soon followed by the long neck and the light-pink coloured body.

"No way…" Cera, surprisingly, was the first to get over the initial response to the sudden newcomer, closing her mouth which had been open agape. "Ali!"

"It is Ali, yes it is, yep yep yep!" Ducky cheered, hopping up and down in celebration once the initial shock had worn off which looked slightly funny considering her growing body.

"Me miss you bunches!" Petrie crowed, immediately switching his perch from one longneck to the other, prompting a giggle from the girl.

"Hello everyone, it's so nice to see you all again!" she called with a friendly, if a little shy, smile. "Sorry for the delay but we took some detours for breakfast."

Now Spike had reached the longneck too, a look of understanding regarding their late-being apparent in his expression. Happily, he gave Ali the same greeting he had given Littlefoot before, licking across Ali's face when the girl lowered her neck, knowing all too well, what the spiketail was about to do.

"It's nice to see you too, Spike," Ali said with another giggle which everyone joined in readily, even Cera whose mood was all bright again. "I see you are still as silent as I remember you."

Spike blushed slightly upon hearing those words, more laughter ringing through the air.

"How have you been, Ali?" Cera interrogated the girl happily. "It's so nice to see you again!"

"I've been okay, I guess," the female longneck replied casually and with some hesitation in her voice. "See, it's just herd life, nothing too exciting really…"

Littlefoot looked at Ali in concern. He could tell that Ali wasn't quite happy about herd life, however he decided not to dwell on it for the time being.

"Did you have some nice adventures, Ali? Huh, did you?" Ducky questioned curiously, looking at the longneck with big eyes.

"Yeah, you see some nice places?" Petrie added, leaning forward so much that he lost his footing and fell from her head.

"Haha!" Ali snickered. "Hmmmm, not really, no. We haven't seen any places nearly as nice as the Great Valley, although one time we got a little too close to a smoking mountain which wasn't smoking until we got there… needless to say, we had to run from heavy ash fall and smoke…"

"We had an encounter with one of those ourselves…" Cera mentioned casually as she thought back. Only at the end of the previous Cold Time, they'd had to rescue Littlefoot's dad from a raging river of flowing fiery rock and Cera was largely to be credited for the success of the rescue.

"Littlefoot already told me on the way, it must have been quite scary…" Ali replied, Cera looking slightly disappointed for a moment.

"It was, it was…" Ducky confirmed.

"Where are Chomper and Ruby by the way? Ali then inquired as she scanned all dinosaurs currently present. Although she hadn't had much of a chance to get to know them in private, she could tell that both of them were decent, even Chomper, a natural enemy of longnecks. "Aren't they with you anymore?"

"Oh, don't worry, they should join us sooner or later." Littlefoot reassured.

"You see, Ali, we are all growing a lot recently so we need more food, yes we do," Ducky explained matter-of-factly, Spike taking a bite out of the bush that Ali had emerged from as if to underline that statement. "Chomper's food is not growing though, oh no, oh no!" A giggle slipped from her beak.

"That little biter's appetite is rivalling Spike's by now, it's almost frightening…" Cera deadpanned.

"I do not need to worry though, do I?" the girl double-checked in slight concern.

"Nah, he still friendly sharptooth," Petrie assured.

"That's great, he and Ruby have been really kind last time!" Ali responded, relieved.

"Yeah." Littlefoot gave her a smile.

"Although if that Rhett guy is still around, I suppose I'd be okay if Chomper chased him around for a while just for a good laugh!" Cera said joking. "Speaking of that bloke, is he still with you, Ali?"

"Well... " the girl hesitated but before she got to speak her mind about the idiotic boy, the bushes she herself had emerged from moments ago suddenly shook violently.

"AH!" Petrie shrieked, fleeing into the nearest tree while Ducky hid underneath an anxious Spike. Littlefoot and Ali exchanged looks of befuddlement and Cera squinted her eyes.

"Show yourself!" she barked, flexing her horns, two of which were just breaking through her forehead. Abruptly, upon her demand, the bushes exploded and a long-necked figure jumped out of it, the group immediately relaxing as the identity of the newcomer became obvious.

"Yo, I'm Rhett!" the beige coloured longneck called as he posed in front of the group. "Remember me?"

"Speak of the bad treestar and it'll end up in your food… How could we possibly forget about you?" Cera deadpanned, clearly a little unamused about his arrival, especially considering that he'd likely eavesdropped on them and, thus, heard her earlier joke as well.

"Rhett, what are you doing here?" Ali deadpanned as well." I thought you didn't want to play with everyone?"

Truth be told, it wasn't the most welcoming greeting but Rhett didn't expect much of it anyway. Grinning, he lied.

"I was just teasing you the other day, Ali, I certainly don't mind hanging around with you guys." The boy's gaze lingered on Littlefoot in particular. "You don't mind, right?"

"Sure, tag along," Littlefoot replied with a slightly awkward smile. While he didn't have any issues with the boy, the way he's always strutted and swaggered around Ali as well as his strange attitude put him off a little. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing personal but Littlefoot just couldn't bring himself to like Rhett.

"Well, prepare to lose against me then, flathead!" Cera sighed before finding back to her usual self and attitude.

"The more the merrier, right Spike?" Ducky giggled, addressing her brother who seemed slightly unamused but nevertheless nodded when Ducky prompted him.

"I don't mind," Ali stated though like Littlefoot she didn't say it without resentments.

"What we play then?" Petrie wondered, pirouetting through the air.

"May I suggest a game?" Rhett immediately piped up, swagging into the loose circle which they formed. That insolent flyer had prompted him excellently; now was the time to carry out the finer details of his plan that he forged up on the way.

_"__Littleneck, just be patient, I'll make my move soon enough, ha!"_

"I don't know about you guys but I could do with a game of Hide and Seek, what'cha think?" Truth be told, Rhett despised the game but it'd offer a pretty neat opportunity to isolate Littlefoot from the others… "I'll be it, okay?" he offered. Being "it" was always unpopular in that game so Rhett offered to take that role voluntarily. Besides… the thought prompted a smirk which he had to subdue quickly. "_I'll make sure to find that idiot and give him a piece of my awesome mind!"_

"Sure," Littlefoot spoke in behalf of everyone after performing a quick non-verbal survey, the suggestion meeting general approval from the group. "Should the limit be this forest here?" he asked. Searching within the whole valley was like betting on a snowy day during the warm season. The valley was simply too huge for such a game to be worthwhile for both parties…

"Sounds good," Ali approved, the others nodding or giving their approval verbally. The forest was only a couple hundred meters in most directions, large enough to hide well but small enough to give the seeker a legitimate chance.

"50 turns around that big ol' tree, and not a single turn less, got it?" Cera barked at Rhett who returned her scrutinizing stare with odd cheerfulness.

"You got my word, miss," Rhett promised.

"Everyone ready then?" Littlefoot inquired. Upon receiving positive responses from everyone, he yelled. "GO!"

Quickly, everyone scattered away. Unlike Rhett and Ali, they knew this forest quite well. Littlefoot already knew just the place to hide at. With a cheerful laugh, he began running into the general direction until he heard a panting cry behind him.

"Littlefoot, wait!" Ali called as she tried not to lose the boy who was going at a hell of a pace.

"Huh?" Littlefoot slowed his sprint considerably and soon came to a standstill, allowing the girl to reach him. "Want some advice on where to hide, Ali?" he hypothesized in a mildly teasing manner.

The girl caught up quickly, smiling at the purple-grey coloured boy once she'd caught her breath.

"No, not quite," she chuckled happily. After all, she had a great idea up her sleeve. "Littlefoot, let's hide together!"

"Hide together?" the boy wondered. "Wouldn't that just make it easier for Rhett?"

"M-maybe…" Ali admitted, thoughtful for a split-second. "So what, it'll be fun!" the girl encouraged him, however Littlefoot was torn. Principally, he strived to win this game, however Ali's offer was more than tempting as she tried to look as innocent and sweet as she could.

"Well, I dunno…" LIttlefoot sighed. The log that he wanted to hide in should offer enough room for two, however it'd be tempting to talk while hiding which would increase the odds of them giving away their location.

"See Littlefoot, we could talk some more, all alone, with no one bothering us?" Ali reasoned with a wink of her eye. Littlefoot's brain rattled.

"Well…"

"Please…" Ali made a cute, silly gesture but Littlefoot looked away, puzzling. Indignantly, Ali stepped closer and poked his head with her nose playfully. "What's keeping you, let's go!"

"Oh alrighty!" the boy eventually gave in snickering, starting to get on the move again.

"Thank yoooouuuu!" Ali tweeted in a silly manner.  
_  
"What was that feeling just now?"_ Littlefoot pondered as they walked at a fast pace towards the hideout. Just when Ali had poked him, a sudden feeling which he could hardly place had pierced his whole body like a wave and it hadn't been a bad feeling. Even now as the girl was jogging beside him with a happy smile, he could feel it reverberate within him. Since he couldn't figure out what it was, he decided to brush the encounter off as an odd random thing and moved on for now, although he certainly wouldn't forget this feeling. Surely, it felt oddly nice too…

As they passed by trees and more trees, Ali's expression changed into a stern one suddenly. Littlefoot could only guess what spoiled his friend's mood so suddenly, given that the occurrence gave him a slight belly-ache as well.

"Thinking about Rhett there too, aren't you?" he wondered upon seeing her expression waver like that.

"Mhm," the girl nodded. "There is a reason I didn't ask him to come, see…" Ali looked away in a mixture of sadness and shyness. Weren't it the exact feelings that Rhett was expressing towards her so bluntly which she felt deep within herself? Though Rhett wasn't the one those feelings were directed at but rather…

"Yeah, I can see why," Littlefoot frowned, not catching the meaning behind Ali's facial expression.

"See, Rhett hasn't changed at all… he's the same as back then…"

"That's too bad…" Littlefoot commented thoughtfully. "Well, he'll find us in no time if we keep talking like that." Without noticing, they had come to a standstill again, they had to claim their hideout swiftly now. Besides, dwelling on worries and concerns wasn't how he wanted to spend the limited time they had together until it was time for them to depart for another year. "Let's get going!"

Their spirit partly restored, they sprinted the remaining distance until the designated hideout came into view.

* * *

"This is such a drag!" Rhett complained as he completed the last few turns around the big tree, slightly dizzy from the monotonous movement. He'd forgotten just how annoying this game truly was, however it was necessary for his scheme to work that he played this game thoroughly. As soon as the slight dizziness fell off him, Rhett inspected the area.

_"__I have to make sure that I find Littlefoot first!"_ Otherwise, chances were others would tag along on his search and that would totally spill it! With that objective and thought in mind, the adolescent boy observed his surroundings with care. Luckily, it must have rained in the Valley quite recently, as he soon noticed…

_"__Everyone left footprints,"_ he noted with a smirk and it didn't take him long to find the ones which belonged to Littlefoot, not a single doubt remaining.  
_  
"Found'cha, Littleneck!"_

* * *

"...in here!"

Littlefoot and Ali had arrived at the designated hideout which Littlefoot had chosen. It was a semi-toppled tree which was hollow on the inside, leaning against a rock, thus its end looking diagonally up at roughly 20 degrees. Upon Littlefoot's request, the girl crawled in, just about small enough to fit in, inching further in for Littlefoot to squeeze his body through the tiny hole as well. In a few months, he'd probably be too big to fit into most logs that could be found around the Valley.

"Rhett is gonna have a hard time discovering us here for sure!" the boy said with a smile.

"Oh yes," Ali agreed. It really was a great hideout, she reckoned, for neither of them was visible from the ground below. Unless Rhett decided to climb the short tree trunk which hadn't toppled over to peek into the rotten log where they were residing now, he'd never catch them! Happily, Ali made herself comfortable, occasionally exchanging a quiet word with Littlefoot. Listening for any signs of Rhett, they waited.

Rhett followed the footprints for a few moments until the ground became less muddy, the trail he was pursuing gradually disappearing into nothing.

"Darn it!" he cursed angrily, stomping his foot in annoyance and anger. In hindsight, mingling with the hiders to pursue Littlefoot might have been the more promising option but he was stuck with this task now thanks to his idiocy so he had to make the best out of it.

_"__Focus, idiot, focus, he's too dumb not to leave any other hints…"_ The boy paused for some moments, eyeing the surrounding trees suspiciously. The path the boy had been going so far was rather straight so Rhett could only deduce that he'd already had a hideout in mind, approaching in a straight line. He had no evidence of course but he had to do something. A gamble was a gamble after all; either one wins or the other loses. Rhett was a winner type so he put faith into his actions and began to advance slowly in the same direction he'd been going thus far…

Waiting without a thing to do quickly began to bore Littlefoot, part of the reason why the game was being played and less frequently in recent times, their growing sizes being the other significant factor. Judging by Ali's restlessness, constantly shifting around in the narrow space they had, the girl felt similar resentments, he noted. As Littlefoot pondered about ways to entertain himself at least a little bit, he remembered the questions that had been on his mind while meeting Ali the other day. Maybe now was as good a time as any to voice them, given that there was nothing better to do but to listen to the lone forest breath.

"Say, Ali, can I ask you something?" he spoke up in a subdued voice, not quite a whisper but still quiet enough for his voice not to escape the interior of the log.

"Sure, what's on your mind, Littlefoot?" the girl asked in response. The log was too small to turn around in order to face Littlefoot directly as they talked which was a little awkward.

"Well, you see… about Rhett…" Littlefoot let out a sigh. "I know you're not quite happy about him interfering with our games but you're still together most of the time when you're migrating, right? Are you-are you still close?"

"C-close?" Ali had to stifle a violent chuckle. "No, no we aren't close at all!"

Littlefoot couldn't see the melancholic look on the female longneck's face which soon developed. Ali was still a little annoyed about Rhett's words the other day and she certainly didn't want him to play along with her friends. Ali could tell that boy was up to something - why else would he engage in a game he obviously hated? They all only got to see each other once a year at best and she'd be darned if Rhett ruined that precious time with his annoying way to draw the attention, good or bad, onto him.

"I didn't want to chase him away, I mean, that'd just be rude, wouldn't it? At least he deserves a chance to get along… but…"

"He doesn't want either of your friendship, quite the opposite I believe…" Ali said darkly. "See, he's said some mean stuff about you the other day, it still bothers me. He only wants to hang around me; see, Littlefoot, we are the only children in our age group so...naturally… we hang around each other a lot… but…"

"But Rhett is an idiot," Littlefoot concluded, seeing Ali nod in front of him.

"Yeah, he really is…" The melancholy only grew stronger as the conversation progressed. It truly was depressing- the only dinosaur her age was an idiot and her choice was basically to put up with the idiocy for the sake of having some company at least or to spend her days all alone in utter boredom, only her mother accompanying her but what fun was that? Neither were pleasant options and the thought dragged her down a lot.

"That sucks, I'm sorry about that," Littlefoot spoke softly ,pondering about how he could aid his friend. Surely, life in her herd sounded less than pleasant in the bigger picture.

"You know, I'm really tired of it, of my herd, of migrating, of Rhett… and…" she hesitated, wishing she could look Littlefoot in the eye as she said these words. "I wish I didn't have to be apart from you - from everyone, all this time…" Ali let out a profound sigh. "See, I wish I could live with you guys… here… in the Great Valley…"

"That'd be amazing!" Littlefoot blurted out, the funny feeling from earlier making a little comeback, before realizing that they were in the middle of a game where stealth was the key to victory. "I mean, I'd love to play with you every day, Ali," he explained, back to the subdued voice both had been using to converse thus far. Ali couldn't see his genuine smile - he had no idea why he was suddenly so cheerful, but Ali could certainly feel the meaning reverberating through his speech. She'd thought about it many times in recent weeks and now she felt ever so confident about these lingering desires. Just at that moment, Ali decided to bring it up to her mother later.

"Anyway, let's better be quiet now just in case I accidently alerted Rhett earlier…" Littlefoot proposed, slightly guilty. Ali chuckled, her mood improving again. This truly wasn't the time to be feeling down and worry. That time could come later after playing…

* * *

Rhett kept on walking through the forest for a few minutes, looking out for signs of torn vegetation and more footsteps. Every now and then, there were a few hints, trampled weeds and ferns giving him reason to believe that he was on the right track.

**"****...AMAZING!"** Rhett suddenly perked up when he caught a whim of a distant voice, faint but unmistakingly Littlefoot's. A smirk ran up his features.

_"__Found'cha!"_

* * *

Littlefoot and Ali remained crouched into the log, waiting quietly. The outside world seemed to be suspiciously quiet - was Rhett even looking for them or had he decided to ditch them? Surely, such an act of trolling would seem like something he'd do, Littlefoot reckoned, but just then he heard something that made his doubt fly away rapidly. Suddenly, a voice spoke up out of nowhere, and it seemed to be rather close to their position…

**"****I know you're here, Littlefoot…"**

"Crap, he must have heard me!" Littlefoot cursed as Rhett's characteristic sneering voice rang through the air. Their bodies obviously couldn't be seen from the outside, however the best hideout was also the most obvious one. Surely, a skilled seeker would have that in mind…

"Let me look!" Ali hissed quietly, carefully crawling closer to the opening of the log. Judging by the sounds of rattling grass and leaves, someone was approaching their position; Rhett was approaching their position, probably well aware of his presence but not of his exact location. Soon, the boy stood directly below them.

"I know you are here," he declared with a sneering voice. "Just give up already!"

Littlefoot held his breath. Would Rhett realize that they were hiding in the log? Would he climb up the fallen tree trunk to peek inside? Or would he move on eventually? And what was Ali up to? She'd moved to the outer edge of the log, apparently amused about something. Rhett was standing directly below her, brooding hard. Had he missed something crucial during observation?

***creak***

Ali held her breath as the wood underneath her feet audibly reacted to her weight as she was shifting it. Had Rhett noticed? If she inched a little further, he would be able to see her from his current position if he looked up but then Ali could also see him and rejoice in the rare occasion to tease him.

Rhett whirled around but did not consider to look above. Amused, Ali inched forward just a little bit…

***crack***

Littlefoot had a sudden deja-vu when the old wood broke under Ali's weight. The girl fell to the ground with a panicked yelp which was met by a surprised scream of Rhett who leapt away fearfully. With a resounding thud, Ali crashed onto the floor right behind Rhett - thankfully it was covered in grass and fallen leaves which caught the worst of it. Rhett jolted away in panic until he heard Ali's hysterical laughter.

"You…" Rhett cursed. Hadn't he expected to meet Littlefoot here? Now his plan was ruined beyond help! "Found you, Ali…"

"Ali, are you okay?!" Littlefoot had climbed back out of the log, knowing that, with Ali being found out, his position was obvious too. The fall hadn't been too big but still he wanted to check if the girl was alright.

"Found you…" Rhett said sourly when he saw him. Upon seeing Ali cry with laughter, Littlefoot relaxed immediately. Someone laughing like that surely couldn't be hurt.

"Let's find the others!" Littlefoot prompted with a forced smile as he reached the fellow longneck, the fact that it was Rhett he was talking to having a bigger role than the disappointment about being found.

"Yea…" Rhett muttered through gritted teeth, his facial expression twitching as he watched Littlefoot helping Ali back to her feet. This hadn't gone according to plan at all. Rhett was already bothered greatly by having to put up with the silly game and now it wasn't even going in his favor. He'd love to agree to another round now - with this round ruined, he'd need a second chance. Ali would be the seeker in the next one…

_"__At least they can't hide together then!"_ A look of triumph flashed across his face just briefly. _"__If I can tail Littlefoot as part of the hider team, maybe it'll work after all… better get these two to help me find the others quick…"_ As annoying as asking for the help of his self-declared enemy was, now was not the time to keep one's pride. Finding that dumbass alone failed but by following him secretly and cornering him during the next game, he would still achieve his goal. Yes, he wouldn't give up so readily…

* * *

Half an hour later, Rhett, grudgingly accepting the assistance of the two fellow longnecks for his own sake, had discovered everyone and they all returned to the meeting place where Chomper and Ruby were already waiting for them.

"Hi guys!" Chomper waved as the group came into view, a smirk creeping up his features when Rhett momentarily appeared to be scared.

"Hello my friends, my friends hello!" Ruby tweeted, regarding Ali with a particularly kind smile.

"You already knew about them, huh?" Littlefoot analyzed as he caught up to them, their absolute lack of surprise upon seeing Ali and Rhett indicating strongly that they must have heard about the newcomers already.

"Eeyup!" Chomper confirmed. "Stumbled upon old Thicknose who told me not to be too obvious while they're here." A chuckle went through the ranks.

"What were you doing before we arrived?" Ruby wondered with youthlike curiosity despite being older than everyone and slowly shrinking in comparison to their rapidly growing bodies.

"We play Hide n' Seek, ehehehe," Petrie responded merrily - he had won the game, being the last to be found.

"Yep, yep, yep! And Ali is "it" this time!" Ducky added with a smile.

"And even Rhett is playing," Cera deadpanned, looking at Chomper with a smirk. "Too bad you missed the first round, Chomper, Rhett was seeking…"

"Y-yes, I-I'm playing!" Rhett declared more nervously than he meant to let on, avoiding Chomper's smirking glance resting on him.

"Everyone ready to start?" Ali asked with a kind smile. "Upon receiving everybody's "okay", the girl began circling the tree while everyone was running away…

Rhett immediately went after Littlefoot without the other longneck knowing, keeping about a stone's throw behind and acting quietly, staying low when not covered by vegetation. They were heading towards the part of the forest that bordered the great wall of the valley.

After a few minutes, Littlefoot entered a formation of rocks and slid through a narrow opening. Rhett smirked. Nobody had gone in their general direction as far as he could tell so he could talk relatively freely. Even in the worst case, it'd take Ali a few minutes to get by. Besides…

_"__That dumbass is cornered in there, he'll regret choosing such a hideout very soon…"_ Finally, his efforts would pay off. His spirits high and his mood great, the beige-coloured longneck closed the remaining distance, striding closer until he barged into the hideout at once…

* * *

**This chapter has mostly been building up towards the second one where stuff is gonna happen as you might be able to tell by now. Rhett is trying to sabotage the games of the gang for his own, selfish reasons - or maybe because he is just a douche. xD Either way, he's up to no good and I sincerely hope that you'll hate him even more after you've read the 2nd chapter :P**

**PS: Responses to reviews at the end of chapter 2, just a heads up :)**


	3. Chapter 2 - Arguments

**Some harsh language in this one, just a heads up :)**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**** Arguments**

With a sigh of relief, Littlefoot settled down on the rocky floor. The stone walls were hiding him completely and unless someone decided to take a closer look, he had a good chance to persist in this round.

The boy rested for a moment, catching his breath after jogging in a rush to escape the seeker before they started seeking. However, he wasn't granted this moment of rest. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard rapidly advancing and no sooner than he had risen back to his feet, another longneck entered his hideout - though it wasn't Ali who found him…

* * *

Rhett, for the first time since entering the Great Valley, felt truly happy, a huge smirk on his face as he spotted the pathetic purple-grey longneck in the small, enclosed hideout. This was so perfect, Littlefoot was cornered in there. He could play his cards to full effectivity…

"Yo, Little… foot," he spat out coldly, in a disgusted manner, walking up to the other boy in a clear, confident and dominant posture. "Nice hideout you got here, I'll hide here as well." Giving the boy a firm stare, he added, sneering. "If you don't mind, that is…"

Littlefoot backed off slightly. What was Rhett doing here in his hideout, why did he follow him and just what was he up to? Clearly, Littlefoot could tell, he had some sort of agenda on his mind. _"__I have a bad feeling about this…"_

"S-sure, feel free to use this as a hideout too…" Littlefoot replied uncertainly, avoiding Rhett's penetrating green eyes which continuously stared him down. "Thanks…" Rhett cackled with a smile that seemed as false as it was deceiving. Littlefoot hoped that the other longneck would settle down and patiently wait to be discovered, however the boy had no such thing in mind.

"So, Littlefoot… let us talk," Rhett began, casually strutting around, never failing to penetrate him with his intimidating stare. "I will need to have a word with you about a certain issue… you can tell, right?"

"Uhh, sorry, what?" Littlefoot was dumbfounded. "What's your problem? As far as I know there is no…" but just then it began to dawn on him.

"Pah, you sure are dense," Rhett laughed coldly, unsettling Littlefoot even further. _"__What's his problem? Ali would never even consider hanging around him anyway… not while she has someone else to play with… oh."_

"Ali, she's mine. Squeeze that into your little brain, Littlebrain. Don't even consider the remote possibility of playing with her let alone flirting with her. She's mine, dumbass, you got that loud and clear, right?" Rhett was looking at him like someone trying to stomp on some annoying bug. Despite the obvious threat, Littlefoot's initial reaction was to be ridiculed.

"W-what?" he deadpanned, the mere accusation too ludicrous for him to take serious, the bold claim beyond unreasonable.

"You think this is funny, huh?" Rhett's pose transitioned from laid-back dominance to something a lot more threatening. Littlefoot jerked. "I'll have you know, Babyfoot, that I'm not in the mood to goof around like you and your dumb-witted friends. Consider your words carefully… I'm not gonna fool around…"

Littlefoot gulped as Rhett cornered him gradually. He had assumed that Rhett was all talk but he'd just been proven wrong. This boy was dead serious and he was all alone right now with the lunatic cornering him. What should he do? Run away? Lie to Rhett in order to make him think that he'd agree to such nonsense? If Rhett attacked him, would he have to fight?

"Well, I'm not flirting with her, what's your problem?" he asked carefully, acting slightly submissive as not to escalate the situation but yet he'd tell Rhett what he thought about his statement.

"Dude, are you fucking retarded?!" Rhett shouted indignantly, shoving Littlefoot even further into a corner. "Not flirting… my ass! How stupid do you think I am, eh?! Answer me, idiot!"

_"__Very…"_ Littlefoot's mind replied though he just barely managed not to say it out loud. As Rhett pushed him further back much to his annoyance, he had to bent back his head since the boy was pushing his nose against his angrily. He was now effectively squeezed into the very corner of his hideout and he didn't like it one bit.

"Seriously, how dense can a longneck be? You really are a stupid flathead who knows nothing; you're not flirting with her? Come one dude, give me break!"

_"__You're the one who should give me a break…"_ Littlefoot thought, slowly beginning to get annoyed about Rhett's antics. Gathering some courage from the nonsense the beige-coloured longneck was spewing, he replied ferociously.

"Oh, I see… let me sum this up… so you say Ali is all yours, right?" If the situation hadn't been in Rhett's favor, he might have laughed at him but given that Rhett had the upper hand he thought better of it. "You're saying I'm stupid but what do you understand about love, Rhett?"

"She's mine, that is all you need to cram into your degenerated brain, loser," Rhett cackled but Littlefoot only felt reinforced in his reasoning.

"That's precisely why I feel you are the dense one around here, Rhett!" he declared, deadpanning, immediately feeling Rhett's snout angrily pushing against his but he resisted the push just as fiercely. It was no longer a battle of words but a battle of wills as well. "You're the stupid one here, Rhett! I may not know much about love but my grandparents taught me one thing you're awfully ignorant about!"

"Oh yeah?" Rhett gave another push. "Entertain me with your nonsense, Littleneck!"

"Someone you love doesn't belong to you just because you ignorantly claim them. You have to earn the love of another dinosaur through your words and actions and not force your selfish desires upon others!"

"Nonsense!" Rhett yelled, headbutting Littlefoot fiercely and pressing him against the cold rock wall. "Ali will love me, she doesn't have anyone and, unlike the wuss you are, I can protect her with my handsome body. You can't keep up with me because I got the looks, the muscles and the brain. You got none of it so bugger off and don't get in my way!"

Despite the obvious aggression, Littlefoot had a hard time staying serious, considering how ludicrous Rhett's statements truly were. He simply couldn't back down as much as he wanted to submit for the sake of saving himself from his idiocy.

"I'm sorry to crush your vivid fantasies but I'll have you know that Ali would never think about going out with you!"

"Oh?" Rhett sneered, amused. It only took a quick movement and a small shift of his weight and Littlefoot was effectively pinned against the wall, completely at his mercy though it discerned the pathetic boy little.

"Ali doesn't like your attitude and neither do I," Littlefoot said matter-of-factly with as calm a voice as he could manage, his glare meeting Rhett's. "You'll never win her if you don't try to win her heart. As a matter of fact, with that attitude of yours, you will never love any girl if you don't even learn the most basic…"

"SHUT UP!" Rhett screamed, spitting into Littlefoot's face. He had hit a sore point. "I won't allow an amateur like you to mess with a beauty like her! She's mine, you won't take her away!"

"Take her… away?" Littlefoot laughed, it was too much ridicule to take. "Rhett, we're just trying to enjoy the little time we can see each other, relax… You can see her all the time after all…" Littlefoot attempted to appeal to Rhett's reasoning, however, that trait seemed to be missing in the boy completely and he began to get seriously annoyed with being shoved against the hard rocks.

"You're not to see her at all, dumbwit!" Rhett cried in fury. "She's my girl, MY GIRL! _I_ decide who she may see and who she mustn't!"

That was, when Littlefoot finally had enough. In a surge of anger, he broke free from the pindown, getting behind Rhett lest he'd be cornered once again.

"I've had enough of this nonsense, Rhett!" he cried at the top of his lungs, glaring angrily at the beige-coloured longneck. Even Cera would often back down when seeing this expression on his but Rhett seemed relatively unimpressed, if anything. "Ali sees me as a friend while she sees you as an annoying idiot! She'll decide for herself who she wants to spend her time with!"

Rhett casually turned around to face him again, his expression that of subdued anger and annoyance yet his words was calm and mocking.

"Fine, Babyfoot… How about a deal? Ali is free to choose but you must not stop me from hanging around wherever she is going with you and those idiots you call your friends."

Littlefoot twitched for a second, that insult hit where it hurt but he knew better than to start a fight over it.

"Otherwise…" Rhett continued, walking up to him and pushing his nose against his again. "If you decline, you'll let me have my way with Ali but I won't bother you. That's my deal and you better don't half-ass me - nor tell anyone about our friendly chat, is that clear?"

Littlefoot felt rage flare up inside of his stomach. Rhett was trampling not only on his pride and feelings but on those of Ali and his friends as well. More importantly, he was once again on the best way to ruin Ali's visit for everyone involved once again. Something had to be done though now was a bad time, considering that Rhett seemed more than ready to take their dispute to a physical form, judging my his aggressive behavior.

"Fine, I agree to your terms," he spat, glaring at Rhett angrily. "_For now anyway, don't think for a second that I'm going to accept this sharptooth crap!"_

"Splendid," Rhett cackled in amusement, removing his nose from Littlefoot's face at last. He would have preferred the other option of course but this way he could enjoy himself in different ways as well.

"But you'll never get what you want from Ali, no matter what you do, Rhett! Never!" He'd make sure that it never came to that, Littlefoot swore to himself.

"Oh, we'll see about that…" Rhett smirked. "Anyway, this is now my hideout, get lost!" He needn't bully Littlefoot out for the purple-grey longneck did so readily on his own before Rhett could finish his sentence. "Quite a coward you are though, Babyfoot!" Rhett exclaimed teasingly, hearing no further sounds from the outside. Pleased with himself, he sat down on the floor and waited for Ali to find him. Perhaps he'd even win this game despite how little he cared?

* * *

_"That insufferable…"_ To say Littlefoot was angry would be a big understatement. He was quite frankly furious right now, plowing through the forest like a maniac. He didn't care about the game anymore, all he cared about was finding his friends to tell them the news and figure out how to resolve the issue and make sure Rhett wouldn't cause them any additional grief. It was lucky that no sooner than he was out of hearing range, Littlefoot bumped into the person he most needed to talk to at that moment.

* * *

Ali was aimlessly scouting the forest for her friends when the sound of vegetation being ripped as well as rapid footsteps managed to gain her attention. _"__What is going on?"_ she wondered before the figure of Littlefoot came waltzing into view rapidly, almost crashing into her before he took notice of her.

"Littlefoot, what's wrong? Oh, I found you!" Ali said though she quickly realized that something must have happened.

"Let's find the others quick, Ali. We need to talk!" Littlefoot panted in obvious anger. "Don't go looking by the rock wall. A certain someone is hiding there but I'd rather ditch him!"

"Is it Rhett?" Ali suddenly deadpanned. Upon Littlefoot's instant nod, she inquired. "Did he do something?"

"Quite," Littlefoot frowned. "Come on, I'll tell you on the way…"

"Okay…" Ali sighed before racing after Littlefoot who clearly was in a hurry.

"So, to pick up our Rhett talk where we left it off, can I just hear it from you again, Ali? Do you hate him?"

"Hate… him? Hmm, I wouldn't say I hate him but I certainly don't like him…" Ali replied thoughtfully. "Let me guess, Rhett followed you into your hideout and decided to be an idiot again?"

"Precisely!" Littlefoot panted. "He's spitting more nonsense than a smoking mountain on a really bad day, how do you put up with this?!"

"Well… as I said before, the time we spend migrating isn't exactly amazing… it is nice not to be completely alone but… Rhett annoys me more often than not…" A sad, melancholic look flashed across her face and Littlefoot could tell immediately why Ali was feeling that way, for he couldn't even endure Rhett for a single day. How was Ali keeping sane?

"You know that he loves you, right?" Littlefoot then continued as if talking about a particularly annoying bug in his nest.

"I'm aware of it, yes," Ali stated, however her expression suddenly changed completely as it transitioned into a happier, almost witty mood. "But, see, he will never be the one I love. I… already have a candidate, see?" Both slowed down significantly, Ali awkwardly grinning before avoiding Littlefoot's befuddled glance.

"Who is it?" Littlefoot said with mild curiosity though his anger still carried in his words so they came out a little harsher than intended.

"Not telling…" Ali giggled. Littlefoot couldn't see her face since she was running ahead. If he hadn't been angry about Rhett, his curiosity might have persevered, however he went back to business rather quick.

"Either way, Rhett does not understand a thing about it, about love. You should have heard him, seriously… Ali belongs to me, blah blah blah… Like he can claim any girl he wants! That's not how it works!"

Ali suddenly halted in her movement.

"What is it?" Littlefoot demanded. Did he hit a nerve on accident?

"Actually… "Ali hesitated, whatever she had on her mind clearly bothering her. "You see… out in the Mysterious Beyond as you call it it's not so uncommon for a male to claim a female of their choice. Not everyone is kind like you, some males simply fight for a female and the winner gets to… well, you can imagine…"

"And the females agree to this?" Littlefoot deadpanned.

"Some do, others are forced into it. I've… heard some stories about it in my herd and none of them were pleasant so let's better not dwell on such things, okay?"

"Good point, good point…" Littlefoot agreed hastily. That truly didn't feel right and if Rhett was believing that this was the true form of love then he could fall into a fire pit for all he cared. "You know, I firmly believe that love is something you have to earn."

"Yes, same here," Ali stated, a slight smile appearing on her face. It was good that Littlefoot was so dense, otherwise he might have caught on to a few things by now. "Anyway, let's hurry to find the others, Rhett worries me too and I don't want him to ruin my stay at the Great Valley."

"Well said, Ali. Perhaps we should just call it a game and hurry up?"

"No, I'd like to find them fair and square. Don't let him ruin this game," Ali proposed with a pleading look. Littlefoot couldn't argue with that logic after all.

"Oh alright, let's find them!"

* * *

The morning had transitioned into noon when Ruby had finally been found. Littlefoot had tried his best to appear normal on the outside though he couldn't hide his bad mood completely as they were heading back to the clearing.

"So is Littlefoot sulking because he was found first?" Cera grinned though Littlefoot ignored her strictly.

"Now only Rhett is missing, where might he be?" Chomper mused as the clearing came in sight.

"We… decided to ditch him, Littlefoot and I that is," Ali explained uncertainly. "See…"

"We need to talk… right now!" Littlefoot suddenly thundered, everyone jerking a little upon the harsh eruption of anger which the longneck certainly wasn't know for.

"What happened-ed?" Ducky wondered, walking over to Littlefoot to pat his front leg. "Please do not shout, I do not like shouting at all, oh no no no…"

"Did Rhett do something stupid?" Cera hypothesized.

"Well…" Ali was about to say something when she realized what time of the day it was. "Oh no, it's already noon, I have to check back with my mother. Littlefoot, you go tell them! Be back later! Won't take too long!"

"Sure, seeya in a bit!" Cera grinned, speaking on behalf of everyone, her bond with Ali still being tighter than everyone else's. Not counting Littlefoot, that was. Once Ali was out of sight, Littlefoot picked up where the girl left off.

"Okay guys, so while we were playing, Rhett followed me into my hideout and demanded a lot of nonsensical sharptooth crap. If we don't do something, he'll end up ruining our time with Ali!" Littlefoot briefly summed up the situation. Cera was the first to react.

"Geez, and I had a feeling he'd end up causing trouble…" the threehorn cursed.

"What he demand?" Petrie wondered.

"That we let him have Ali all day or that he can stick around us without me saying a word against it," Littlefoot spat out in disgust. Spike immediately let out an angry cry and Ruby folded her hands in a way that meant no good.

"Okay, I thought Rhett was a bit of an idiot but this beats everything," Chomper commented drily. "What in the name of our ancestors is he thinking?"

"He isn't thinking, that's the thinking he does!" Ruby growled angrily. "I agree that we mustn't accept either option."

"Precisely!" Littlefoot shouted, stomping his foot. "Ali doesn't want either option to happen either. When he cornered me, I pretended to agree with him sticking around but I was obviously just trying to lose him. We must make sure that he doesn't know where we are… and if he happens to find us…"

"...I'll chase him away," Chomper growled. "Seems like I'm the only one he's scared of."

"Oh, he hasn't seen me in full swing yet," Cera boasted. "He'd better have fast legs."

"Guys, we should not fight with Rhett, no no no," Ducky reasoned but she was quickly overwhelmed.

"No, he big bully like Hyp. He bully Littlefoot so me wanna bully Rhett too!" Petrie stated with a firm nod, crossing his arms.

"We shouldn't look forward to it but if it comes down to it, we all know our priorities, our priorities we know," Ruby spoke in an agitated manner.

"And if everything fails, Chomper can eat him for all I care," Cera grunted. "Anyway, let's eat some, shall we?"

"Sure, but let me just phrase this before we have lunch," Littlefoot spoke darkly, gritting his teeth. "From now on, we have to be careful guys and we might not be able to play as much as we'd like to… our top priority is keeping Rhett in the dark about our whereabouts. We obviously can't use this place anymore and Ali will have to make sure each morning that she isn't being followed. It's far from ideal but this is the reality we're facing… let's eat."

Soon, Cera had shaken a good chunk of leaves off a nearby tree with some help from Spike and everyone had their fill though they ate in awkward silence.

* * *

It took Ali some time to remember the way but eventually she managed to return to the place her herd had slept the previous night where her mother was already waiting.

The female longneck had been brooding over a few things on the way and now she couldn't wait to set her plans into motion. The most recent ridicule Rhett had produced had only reassured her in an issue she'd been thinking about ever since learning about her herd's plans to visit the Great Valley…

"Hi mum!" she called when the tall body of her mother came into view.

"You're late," her mother stated as the girl walked up to her.

"Sorry, I got a little lost trying to remember the way back," Ali immediately apologized, exchanging a quick nuzzle with her mother.

"Well, I'm happy to inform you that we've settled on a place to reside, I'll take you there now," she explained matter-of-factly, still a little sour about Ali being late.

"Oh, where is it?" Ali wondered with curiosity.

"Not quite central as we hoped but this old longneck who is looking after your friend was suggesting a pond not too far from here which is a little secluded and it has lots of greenery for us to eat. Upon checking it out, Old Old decided that it was good enough for us."

"Oh, Littlefoot's grandfather suggested it? Then it must be nice!" Ali said happily.

"So far, I'd say it is," her mother confirmed. "Well, shall we go?"

"Yes!" Ali agreed. She wasn't truly caring much about their residence as long as she could get to talk to her mother about a certain issue but she also didn't want to crash into the nest without warning, so to speak. Quietly, she walked alongside her mother who was heading straight towards the next forest in sight.

"It's behind those trees so it should be easy to find for you as long as you remember where the main entrance is where we slept last night."

"That should be possible," Ali giggled. "Do I need to go in or would you let me back to my friends now?"

"Hmm, my only concern was you knowing where we sleep so it should be fine. However, shouldn't you have something to eat before then?"

Ali hadn't forgotten about her plan of course so this just worked in her favor. Nothing like a chat while having lunch, she reckoned.

"Oh sure, I wouldn't mind some though my breakfast was very good," Ali stated matter-of-factly, Littlefoot's culinary tour through the Valley still filling her belly to a healthy extend.

"Help yourself to these then, dear," her mother said, ripping a few mouthfuls of leaves from the nearest tree for Ali to devour. The girl dug in readily.

"Thanksch mum," she said as she munched happily.

* * *

_"__Taking a while, is she?"_ Rhett cast a glance upwards to the Bright Circle which stood high above his head. He had waited for what felt like an eternity yet no one had even gone remotely near his hideout ever since he'd chased away that dumbass Littlefoot.

_"__Did that rock-for-brains keep his word? Gee, I sure don't trust this… perhaps he told the others where I am and they decided… no, surely they wouldn't be that mean, would they?"_ Case in point, Rhett was tired of waiting so he got up and left the hideout. He didn't care about being found if the game was still ongoing… although he had reason to believe that the others had ditched him.

_"__They'd better not or their beloved Littlefoot will be deep in shit… actually, I kinda wouldn't mind beating him to a pulp just now…"_ A profound smirk burned itself into his facial muscles, as if it was the only expression they ever knew. If his suspicion really turned out to be true, there'd be a lot more things to anticipate than some trolling and teasing, that much was certain. His spirits high, Rhett navigated his way back to the place where they would likely be…

* * *

After taking a few bites, Ali decided to bring up the matter she needed to address.

"Uhm, mum? Could I have a word with you about something important?"

"Oh, what would that be, Ali?" her mother inquired with some curiosity. Ali gulped.

"W-well, see… … I have a request!" she exclaimed after finding the courage in her heart to speak about her sorrow thoroughly. "I beg you that you hear me out, mum…"

"Of course I will hear you out, what's the matter? You didn't get yourself into trouble, did you?"

"It's… mum, I need to be honest… see, I… " Ali sighed. "I don't want to live the life we've been living all this time. See… i-it's so nice here in the Great Valley, why d-don't we just stay here? Just you and me?"

Ali's mother didn't reply immediately, pondering how to respond to her daughter's inquiry.

"Ali, dear… we can't just leave the herd like that? A herd is like family, you can't just leave... "

Unfortunate as it was, Ali had expected such an answer but she wasn't ready to give in so easily.

"I understand, mum, but this herd is not family to me… they're all strangers who merely travel with us in my opinion…" Ali stated uneasily, knowing quite well that her words mightn't sit well with her mother but she needed to speak her full mind here.

"Is there a particular reason that makes you think that way, Ali?" the grown-up inquired understandingly. "I know we don't do much with others but a herd is still family. We live together and we all want what's best for each other. We protect each other. Now I can't deny that the Valley would be quite safe but…

"Yes, it is very safe, I'm sure Littlefoot's grandparents would second that immediately!" Ali shouted impatiently. At least, her mother was being fair and wasn't trying to silence her the moment she spoke of it.

"Our numbers are great enough to grant us safety too, don't forget that, Ali," her mother reminded her but Ali wouldn't hear any of it.

"Mum, just think about it… we could live a peaceful life here… no more travelling around in scorching heat, no more thirst and hunger for days, no more dangers! The Great Valley is so much better than what the herd can offer us, don't you think?!"

"Well, I can't deny that but still…" the grown-up seemed conflicted. "Ali, is there a particular reason why you want to leave the herd? You didn't even bring up the possibility of everyone staying here after all. Now that's something I wouldn't oppose at all."

"Well…" Ali sighed heavily. "It's just… I'm lonely in this herd. In the Valley I have friends, in the valley I have fun. There's hardly any fun out there and… I'm tired of it, okay?" She said these words calmly but she still obtained a certain ferocity, a certain determination.

"You have Rhett," her mother stated. "Is he not good enough?"

"Mum, seriously?" Ali deadpanned. "Rhett is a big jerk. He's looking for trouble with Littlefoot because he doesn't want anyone to play with me. But the thing is, he's an idiot, he can get lost for all I care!"

"Now now calm down, dear, don't say such things out of nowhere... " her mother shortly reprimanded her but Ali wouldn't listen.

"He deserves it…" Ali grumbled. "Mum, if what he told Littlefoot is any indication, he thinks of me much in the way those males think about females… you know… the ones that come and only leave the eggs when they go again…"

"How do you come to such a conclusion, dear?" the grown-up asked, mildly irritated.

"See, Rhett doesn't care whether I like him or not," Ali explained, clearly upset. "He claimed that I belong to him alone and that's why he sought a fight with Littlefoot… I've never seen Littlefoot so upset and angry when I ran into him after it happened…"

"You weren't together all the time?"

"We were playing Hide and Seek, see?" Ali pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Oh well, that makes sense then," the adult longneck admitted. "I can't deny that this sounds like bad news, Ali, but why does that make you want to leave the herd? Is it because of Rhett?"

"Not only but… I'd rather not see him anymore to be frank," the girl responded with as much honesty as she could muster.

"Okay, that is understandable… though he never came across to me as how you describe him now. Anyway, is there any other thing that makes you want to leave the herd?"

"Quite…" Ali gulped - this would be her trump card and she'd have to make sure that she played it well. "So… I just don't want to leave my friends and… in particular… Littlefoot I… I like him… like… a lot…" Ali felt like disappearing into thin air but she had to pull through. It was all for Littlefoot and her freedom to be with him all the time after all.

"Oh, you like him? the female asked in mild surprise.

"Yeah, I do," Ali admitted, slightly embarrassed. "You know… last time I was here, that was just when I met Rhett and I was… well, I kind of turned him down because Rhett didn't like him… I mean, I sorta knew he was making things up but he was still my friend and back then I really believed Rhett was nice if he wanted to be nice. I didn't want to upset Rhett because I was afraid my only friend in this herd would leave me… I was so so stupid. I should have been nicer to Littlefoot. I wasted a fair amount of our time and I realized too late that I actually liked him a lot. We already left before I could get a chance to sort my feelings… It's been a long time but now these feelings have resurfaced and… I don't want to be separated from Littlefoot again… Can you understand that, mum?"

"I certainly do, dear," the grown-up sighed heavily. "I do understand your feelings but I'm afraid I cannot leave the herd just for your sake, Ali. Please try to understand... "

"But mum!" Ali cried.

"Once you're older, Ali, you're free to choose your own path but you need to mature and grow up first. I don't doubt that you're completely sincere about your request and I'm glad that we talked about this but I cannot grant your request at this time. Enjoy your time you have, make sure that Littlefoot knows about your feelings and make a promise, both of you. He seems like the type of dinosaur who wouldn't break one."

"But... but that's a very long time! I-I don't want to be stuck with good-for-nothing Rhett for another year or two! I'll go crazy before that happens!" Ali cried in a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"I'm sure something can be done about Rhett, dear, if it becomes necessary that he is reprimanded for his behavior. Just hang in there, I know you're not satisfied but try to understand… please."

"I still don't understand why they're so important to you, important enough that you would leave a paradise when you see it…" Ali said while sulking. Her mother then gave her a quick nuzzle. "It's as I said. Family is family. When your father died, I was left with no family but little you and I was too weak to protect you. This herd became the family I lost and it will remain that way forever until I grow old, Ali. You've been too young to make that decision so you are free to leave once you are old enough if that is what you yearn for. Of course you could invite Littlefoot into our herd too, have you considered that yet?"

"No I haven't but I doubt Littlefoot would want to… he's happy here and he wouldn't leave behind his friends… they certainly have no place in a herd like ours…"

"That they don't…" the adult agreed, nodding.

"Anyway, when will I be… old enough?" Ali asked sulking.

"When you've proven that you are grown-up in mind and body. A few Cold Times, I'd say."

"That's too long!" Ali ranted immediately but her mother merely chuckled.

"I know, I know it is. Forgive me…"

"Could you at least consider life here in the Great Valley?" Ali requested quietly. "Investigate a little and look around. Maybe you'll like it more than you think now?"

"You sure are a persistent one," the female laughed heartily but then her expression became serious again. "Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to do that if it means we have a compromise?"

"I… guess so," Ali mumbled, crestfallen. "D-don't think that I'll give up this easily though!" she then blurted out with the last bit of bravado she could muster. It certainly wasn't enough.

"That's fine, Ali. Now, eat up and go back to your friends. And keep me informed about Rhett, okay? If that boy really is up to no good, I'll have a word with Old One about this."

That, at last, soothed Ali's mood if just a little.

"Will do, though I guess Littlefoot and the others are going to try avoid him. If you could distract him in the morning so he doesn't get to follow me secretly like he did today would be helpful…"

"That can be arranged," the grown-up spoke with a mild smile. "Now, off you go."

"See you later!" Ali called before walking back to her friends, although her mood wasn't exactly better than before. Ali caught herself letting her head hang low, however she then reminded herself that being down and gloomy wasn't helping at all. This was not the time to be having these emotions, or at least she'd be better off restricting them somewhat for the sake of having fun and spending time with her friends. Hurrying, she ran back across the Valley she'd like to make her home so readily…

* * *

Littlefoot sat some distance away from everyone. After the group was done eating (Chomper had disappeared for a bit), he'd retreated somewhat as the others relaxed in the early afternoon heat or talked among themselves. Littlefoot couldn't be bothered to join them, not now. His mind was just churning with subdued anger and he had a few things to reflect upon after this eventful morning.

If there was one thing that really annoyed him, it was how Rhett had shoved him around earlier. Littlefoot didn't like to admit it but if it came down to a test of strength, Rhett would be the obvious winner. Living the harsh life out in the Mysterious Beyond had built a lot of strength and also Littlefoot presumed that the boy may be a season or two older than he was. Usually, he wouldn't have to worry about this but the deranged boy had acted rather aggressively and there was no doubt for Littlefoot that he would have resorted to violence if he hadn't gotten what he had wanted. Also considering that he broke the deal as soon as it was forged, also considering the threat Rhett had voiced in the occasion he did exactly that… well, it put him into a slight state of unrest. He'd have to make sure that he was never alone when Rhett was around lest the boy decided to attack him when he least expected it…

_"__I'd better stay close to my friends now,"_ he muttered quietly as he watched Petrie entertain Ducky and Spike with a few flying tricks while Ruby and Cera were ranting about the poor quality of the Great Valley's best mud pool this year.

_"__And then there is Ali…"_ Littlefoot didn't like to admit it but Rhett had said a few things during their argument which actually hit a sore point. Was he really flirting with Ali? Was that how Rhett saw it? Or, he grunted, was it just what he wanted to see? He knew too well from Cera that she'd often twist facts to use them in her favor and Rhett was probably doing the same earlier, he reckoned.

_"__More importantly though, what are my feelings for Ali really?"_ The way Rhett had spoken about love had stirred his mind. He remembered the funny feeling inside his stomach he had been feeling earlier, a feeling he never knew previously. I didn't want to deny it but if it came down to it, he would ditch his friends without a second thought if it meant seeing Ali. He could never get tired of her cute smile, yes, that angelic, sometimes goofy smile… Perhaps, he'd have to talk to the girl again sooner or later to confirm a few things for these feelings particularly surfaced when they were all alone...

_"__Last but not least, why does Rhett hate me so much? And why do I… "_ Littlefoot could tell that he saw him as a rival for the love of Ali which he craved (but would never get, Littlefoot mused with gritted teeth) which made sense considering the boy's line of reasoning. However, he was more curious if his very own source of hate was more complicated than met the eye on first glance…

_"__Well, I can't deny it, I hate him because of how much of a freak he is, because of how idiotic he acts and because of how full of himself he can be… but that's not it… I'm not one to hate others… but... "_ Truth be told, if it came down to a fight between the two, Littlefoot wasn't so sure anymore if he'd avoid it at this point. Not only had Rhett trampled on his pride (which he usually didn't care so much about) but also did he try to steer him away from Ali which was simply unforgivable given their difficult distant relationship. Littlefoot hated to admit it but just now, Ali having gone off to see her mother, he kind of missed her, he kind of wanted her to be at his side, smiling, being happy… touching their noses like they did as a greeting the other day… There, the feeling returned to him just now, stronger than ever, in spite of Ali's absence, or maybe because of it? Littlefoot didn't know but one thing he did know.

_"__This squirmy, nervous feeling… it is clearly related to Ali and I think I may know what it means… maybe I am really Rhett's rival here? Maybe…"_

Just then, he remembered something Ali had said earlier.

_"__Also, who is it that "candidate" that she spoke of a little earlier? If it's not Rhett, then who is it? Ali doesn't know any other longnecks her age, does she? Oh wait…"_ Had Ali meant… him? Did the girl in fact show some real interest in him? Did she really - he couldn't even think about the word, let alone say it out loud. Was it what he was feeling towards Ali just now?

That was when the boy saw Ali joining their group again.

* * *

**Hate Rhett now? well, me too!**

**This chapter is my submission for the january prompt "Argument" of the Gang of Five fanfiction prompt challenge.**

**So now we have it. Rhett and Littlefoot are at each other's throat but also Littlefoot and Ali are developing their relationship, slowly. :P**

**I know this was a lot to read but I hope you all liked the developments ^^**

* * *

Guest chapter 1 . Feb 23

"Although we discussed this prior to the upload, the story is too perfect to not at least give a short review. Hopefully you don't mind some repetition. Thank you for redeeming my favorite girl in the LBT franchise. You really get the sense of what she's gone through trying to deal with Rhett being in the herd, putting up with him out of necessity but certainly not enjoying it. I appreciate that you incorporated her standing up to Rhett when he was insulting her friends. Ali can often be shy and eager to please but underneath that, as we saw in the fourth film, she's not afraid to stand up for her friends or risk everything to help those in need. Aside from how this fanfic brings back the pink/lavender longneck we all know and love, Littlefoot and I have the same opinion of Rhett. That blood sucking insect line perfectly describes what I thought upon seeing him in the episode. The reunion between Littlefoot and Ali is a vast improvement over what we saw on screen. The subtle intimacy seen here in Littlefoot's descriptions of Ali, their mutual feelings of elation, and slight physical affection elevated a scene that felt very rushed in the TV series.

This chapter demonstrates your talent for characterization and I can't wait to see more."

**Thanks my friend. I cannot argue with any of the points that you bring up and I'm glad that my characterization worked! Thanks for the discussions we had for they are both inspiration and motivation for me to keep working, to keep writing. Same goes for your in-depth reviews even though I am usually hearing them before even uploading things lately. You're welcome too! :)**

* * *

The Rhombus chapter 1 . Feb 24

"I dare to say that Littlefoot might not be especially effective at hiding his affections for a certain female longneck. :p This prologue does present many possibilities for how things can develop in the future with both the physical growth of all the participants and the arrival of Rhett and Ali creating the framework for possible romance and conflict. No matter how this develops, however, I look forward to keeping up with this story. :)"

**Thanks Rhombus, yes Rhett will be one of the three main characters here and the looming triangle should be obvious :P**

* * *

OwlsCantRead chapter 1 . Mar 2

"Hey, it's everyone favorite Rhett! :p

The idea is, well, an Ali return isn't all that new, but I suppose having Rhett be a literal obstacle is a bit different. It's probably going to be a rollercoaster of emotions and conflict from here on out. :p"

**Oh, you can say that twice ;) Thanks Owl!**


	4. Chapter 3 - A confession at night

**Chapter 3: ****A confession at night**

Littlefoot's mood improved significantly when he saw Ali approach who immediately aimed a smile at him.

"I'm back!" the lavender-coloured girl announced happily, most of her negative thoughts and worries pushed to the back of her mind for now in order to enjoy the rest of the day.

"Welcome back, Ali!" everyone replied, gathering around the two longnecks, Chomper and Ruby returning from their little "hunt" just then as well.

"What are we going to do?" Ali wondered.

"More importantly, did you see Rhett anywhere?" Cera inquired. "He simply mustn't know where we are!"

"No trace, no," Ali sighed, brushing aside a surge of bad emotions. "Though I guess we should get going rather soon before he realizes that we might be here."

"Agreed," Ruby replied sternly. "If Rhett doesn't know where we are going, then he can't go where we are going so we have to go somewhere Rhett doesn't know where somewhere is."

"Also, it should be somewhere not too easy to find, he mustn't find us by chance either!" Cera ranted.

"In other words, let's get going," Chomper summarized with a cheeky grin. "Shall we?"

"How about Meadow of Tall Grass?" Petrie offered. "Tall grass hide us well."

"Not a bad idea, Petrie," Littlefoot praised. "But what should we play there?"

"Let us play catch, yep yep yep!" Ducky proposed eagerly, an excited smile on the swimmer's face.

"Yeah, that could work," Littlefoot mused. "It would certainly allow us to have some good fun and hide from Rhett."

"I have a LOT of energy right now!" Cera announced, puffing herself. "So it's a good game to play."

"Shall we do it?" Littlefoot inquired.

"Yeah!" the others shouted in unison with happy cheers.

"What are we standing around for? Move it!" Cera prompted, marching ahead of the group. The others followed in a rather merry mood.

* * *

_"__He has more guts than I thought…"_

Rhett got up from his crouched position. He had been using the plentiful vegetation to obscure himself from being seen by the others he'd been observing intently. Part of him was a little upset about getting ditched during the game but on the other hand he really didn't care about any of them at all so it was merely a mild irritation, like a bitter taste from a funny plant in one's lunch. Thankfully, he had realized in time what game these idiots were playing with him; the talk he'd just eavesdropped on only confirmed that, leaving only one conclusion.

_"__He has told them after all, that retarded idiot…"_ The boy had not only lied but he was actively keeping Ali away from him and that was the true crime. _"__He's going to suffer for this though I will need to set it up."_ As Rhett pondered about a scheme that would allow him to make the insolent flathead pay, he began following the retreating forms of the purple-gray longneck, his insufferable companions… and Ali.

_"__Idiots, don't think for a second that you've lost me…"_

* * *

"Boy, that was fun!"

Littlefoot laughed happily as his legs burned with exertion, the sinking form of the Bright Circle shining on his back. They had spent the whole afternoon playing to their heart's content, although he had been caught way more often than he'd have liked to admit. There hadn't been a single sign of Rhett following them either.

"Thanks for the fun games, everyone!" Ali exclaimed with a friendly smile when everyone gathered, tired and word out but satisfied with fun and laughter. "It was super nice to play with everyone again, let's do it again!"

"You bet!" Cera thundered full of spirit.

"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" the female longneck wondered curiously.

"Something fun!" Petrie giggled, receiving a mild roll-eye from Cera.

"Obviously," the Threehorn commented dryly.

"How about we go swimming, huh?" Ducky suggested but Ali didn't seem to like it.

"Well…"

"Let's explore some cool places around the Valley, with Ali!" Chomper exclaimed with his trademark toothy grin.

"In that case, we could use the Secret Caverns to meet up, the Secret Caverns we could use!" Ruby proposed. "Rhett doesn't know them because he doesn't know where they are!"

"Great idea, both of you!" Littlefoot praised them with a proud smile. "What about it, Ali? Wanna go on an adventure here in the Great Valley tomorrow?"

"Hmm, sure!" the girl replied after a moment pondering about the idea. Littlefoot could only muse why Ali was acting a little thoughtful all of a sudden.

"Alright, then we'll meet again tomorrow at the Secret Caverns!"

The group of friends all said their good-bye's and began heading to their respective homes in the Valley. In the end, only Littlefoot and Ali were left.

"So, shall I take you back to your herd, Ali?" Littlefoot offered with a kind smile. Ali still seemed to be a little thoughtful as if she was brooding over something.

"Mmh, yeah," the girl replied. Littlefoot looked at her oddly but didn't say anything.

* * *

_"__Making me watch their bullshit all day, geez…" _

Rhett frowned from his position hidden in the vegetation of the Great Valley. No matter how he tried to put it, he hated this place, however its plentiful assortment of greenery served his current objectives quite well at the very least. It was almost too easy to remain unseen and still see everything.

_"__Fools, did they honestly think they got rid of me? How careless to assume that so non-chalantly…"_

Rhett grimaced. At least the stupidity and naivety of his targets was working in his favor. Now only Littlefoot and Ali were left, the boy puzzling whether to make his next move already. As far as he was concerned, he could proceed with his plan now but, preferably, he'd catch Littlefoot alone again. Besides, a grain of curiosity remained. What would they do now that they were alone, now that they thought they were? Ali already seemed to fall for his lies, the two working together to get rid of him, HIM who the girl should be admiring, not that pathetic flathead from the Valley, no HIM. If he didn't do something, Ali would be beyond hope, he feared, and yet he felt like it was better to wait to observe. Waiting for them to separate seemed futile since Littlefoot would end up telling her and his god-awful friends anyway so Ali being a witness to him carrying out his new schemes wouldn't be much of an issue. However, he was just too curious (or fretful?) what the two longnecks would do when they were being by themselves. Stalking them seemed strangely entertaining when the other friends weren't around and Rhett just wanted to know if his observations would turn out to be true. He could tell that Ali in particular couldn't take her eyes off him which was the main reason why Littlefoot was such a threat to begin with but Littlefoot also appeared to act in a strange manner around the girl, their mutual crush couldn't be more obvious, their silly, childish feelings so blatantly apparent to the onlooker. He'd stay put for now and follow them around a little longer but, either way, at some point that night he'd make his move once he'd gathered some more data and entertained himself a little more…

* * *

Ali was deep in a state of reflection and contemplation as she trotted alongside the adolescent boy. Littlefoot was her best friend and Ali was so glad to be reunited, feeling like there was so so much she had to say and yet her lips remained sealed, the words not finding together to form sentences that weren't nonsensical garbage. Ironically, she felt really awful and happy at the same time, happy because of the amazing day she'd spent together with everyone and Littlefoot – even Rhett's intrusion couldn't really change that fact that she'd had a month's dose of fun on a single day, and, quite ironically, awful because of a set of happy emotions which were making a turmoil in her mind, emotions that she'd held dear ever since the previous year…

* * *

_"__Is it really time to say good-bye already?"_

_A younger Ali was facing an also younger purple-grey longneck as her herd was making preparations to leave the Great Valley._

_"It's been a lot of fun, Ali," Littlefoot spoke with a genuine smile – unlike her the boy seemed to be able to hide the melancholy inside his heart._

_"Yes, indeed but… see, I…" So many emotions churning inside her mind, so many things that she wanted to address, needed to tell Littlefoot, and, in the end, only a short sentence escaped her mouth._

_"I-I'll miss you…"_

_Ali's head hung low. Why did she have to leave? Here, at the Great Valley, she was truly happy but her herd wasn't staying… it was really no fair!_

_"Don't be sad, Ali, it's not forever," Littlefoot spoke in an attempt to cheer the depressed girl up but he didn't quite succeed._

_"I know but… see, not forever is still really long…" At that moment, Ali wanted to confess, confess her feelings all at once but no sound came, her body petrified in a wild turmoil of emotions._

_"Hey, remember the first time we said goodbye?" the boy prompted which caused Ali to perk up a little. "You said something really important back then and I still have faith that one day it'll come true!"_

_Ali browsed through the depths of her memories real quick before she remembered which returned some of her energy at once._

_"M-maybe we'll all live together someday…" she mumbled, barely audible._

_"It's not more or less than a dream, true, but I've been hoping all this time to see you again and…" Ali heart skipped a beat. "…and you really returned after all. I was so happy! And I'll be just as happy next time too!"_

_Ali, despite her melancholy, couldn't help but feel happy as he said that. At that moment, the love for Littlefoot she had discovered during her stay was stronger than the sadness about the coming separation. Maybe she should just tell him about the feelings next time then?_

_**"Ali, are you ready?"**_

_The female longneck twitched as she heard herself being called quite urgently._

_"Littlefoot, I've gotta go…"_

_"Yeah, I know," he replied, hesitant for a second which showed how strongly he actually felt against her leaving but he recovered his friendly smile soon. Walking up to her much closer than comfortable, he performed a gesture Ali didn't recognize at first but, once she did, she smiled. The boy was performing a gesture of parting; lowering her head slightly, they touched their foreheads gently._

_"Safe travels, Ali," Littlefoot spoke with formality but his smile was unmistaken._

_"Have some fun for me too, okay?" Ali said, torn between returning the happy smile and sinking back into depression. In the end, she remained somewhat between the two extremes._

_"Sure, seeya next time, stay safe!" Littlefoot exclaimed with a grin as they broke contact._

_"Yes, see you…"_

_Then, Ali turned around without looking back. Littlefoot couldn't see her tears as she joined back with her herd and, no sooner than the day was over, the Great Valley was already out of sight for a very long time…_

* * *

Ali had only realized on that day that she loved Littlefoot and that she craved to be by his side, just as she was right now, only closer… Moreover, she'd realized just how much it hurt to be apart…

"L-Littlefoot?" Ali suddenly stopped, addressing the boy with uncertain, shaky words.

"Hmm?" Littlefoot wondered, coming to a standstill while giving Ali a curious look. "There's been something on your mind for a while now, hasn't it?" He'd noticed that Ali had been pondering about something not only now but also earlier while switching location for their afternoon games. Of course the boy hadn't said anything, after all he didn't know what this was all about or if he'd been seeing things but, when Ali nodded, he knew that his perception hadn't deceived him. "What's up then? It's not about Rhett again, is it?" Littlefoot inquired with mild curiosity.

"No, not this time – I mean, indirectly, yes…" Ali replied, her mind an utter chaos. "See, I've had a talk with my mother about… see, I kind of asked my mother if we could leave the herd to live in the Great Valley…"

"You were actually serious about that earlier?" Littlefoot inquired in temporary confusion.

"Of course I was, didn't I tell you how terrible life in my migratory herd is? Especially if your only friend is a douche like Rhett…" Ali sighed. "Anyway, my mother did not like the idea – we didn't fight or anything but… she thinks that it'd mean betraying our herd if we left them which I kind of don't understand to be honest…"

"Oh, so that's what's bothering you… understandable." Littlefoot gave the girl an apologetic look. "Any way I can help?"

"Well, I already used my trump argument and pretty much all I could think of that speak bright about the Valley. Unless you know of more which I'm not aware of, I don't think there's much I can do to convince her…" Ali sighed once again. "Oh well, I'm not going to give up that easily, I really do want to live here… with you, all of you…" A hint of melancholy mixed into her troubled expression.

"That'd be a dream coming true for both of us, I think," Littlefoot said with a weak smile, not catching the implementation of his own words.

"Certainly…" Suddenly, Ali's face brightened up. If Littlefoot was happy if she lived in the Great Valley then surely he was having some feelings for her as well? How convenient that she'd been thinking about asking him a certain question anyway…

"Littlefoot, do you need to be home when it gets dark today?" the girl asked as they picked up a slow trot again.

"Well, my grandparents just gave me permission to get home as late as I want so I guess I do not need to be home just yet. Why do you ask, Ali?" A curious glance was resting on Ali now. Just what was the girl implying? Did she want to go out with him in the middle of the night? And why?

"Oh why, I… see…" Ali was suddenly very interested in a flying buzzer crossing their path. "Are… are you up to spend some more time together tonight?" Ali asked quietly. Littlefoot couldn't help but notice her sudden shyness around him.

"Sure I am!" Littlefoot grinned; somehow he had a feeling that Ali was up to something he'd regret missing out. "But what's the big idea? Wanna have an adventure in the dark? Is it that?"

"No, not quite, see…" Ali gulped. "W-we haven't had much time to be by ourselves yet and… see, there are a few things I'd like to tell you and… I also have a few questions I'd like to ask…"

"And we're heading to your place because you need permission too, right?" Littlefoot concluded, Ali nodding briefly, in response. "Any special place you wanna go to talk?"

"Well… it should be a lonely place where we don't disturb anyone…" _Or be disturbed_, Ali added though she didn't say it out loud.

"I see," Littlefoot said with a grin. "Provided you're allowed to go, I know just the place not far from where your herd is sleeping. You'll definitely like it!"

"Great!" Ali replied with a shy smile. Almost everything was ready now, excitement rising the closer they got to her herd. Would her mother let her go with Littlefoot or would her plans be crushed? Despite how shy and awkward she felt about revealing her affection towards Littlefoot, Ali wouldn't allow herself to give in to these doubts. The purple gray longneck was such a kind character that Ali could feel at ease. The worst to happen was that her affection would be unrequited – which would be a terrible downer, no doubt, but she knew Littlefoot wouldn't quit being her friend. He just couldn't, she knew he wouldn't. Ali didn't want to regret anymore, the past year painful proof of her mistakes. Overcoming her doubts, worries and shyness was a relatively small price to pay in the light of what she had to gain.

"Let's hurry!" Ali urged and the two friends jogged the remaining distance merrily.

* * *

_"Geez, what's this stupid girl blabbering about?"_

Rhett grunted as he eavesdropped on the talk between the two fellow longnecks walking ahead of him. _"__Sounds like Ali wants to get lovey-dovey with this flathead, well I'm about to puke…"_

If his suspicions turned out to be true, he'd have to intervene… At this point, it seemed like Ali's mother was his only hope left but would she really forbid Ali to go with Littlefoot, given that she certainly wouldn't let her go with him? Grudgingly, Rhett carried on with his research…

* * *

Dusk was spreading fast over the Valley when Ali and Littlefoot arrived at the forest where Ali's herd was residing, the sky turning purple.

"Hello Mum!" Ali called when she took sight of her parent who smiled at her the moment she noticed her.

"Welcome back, Ali," the grown-up said, regarding Littlefoot with a nod. "Thank you for returning Ali home, Littlefoot."

"You're welcome," the boy replied with a polite smile. His glance then moved to Ali who was slightly nervous.

"Mum, could you do me – no, us a favor? A big one?" she asked with a pleading expression. "See… we still have a lot to catch up on and there is this place where you can see the blinky lights really well, we'd like to go there…"

"Oh?" the adult wondered curiously. "Normally, I'd probably say "no" to that but this here is the Great Valley after all. As long as you two don't stay up all night and stay within the borders of this valley, I'm okay with it." A smile flashed across her face though it paled in comparison to Ali's.

"THANK YOU!" Ali exclaimed, running up to her mother in order to nuzzle her in appreciation.

"I'll promise to bring her back soon," Littlefoot said with a cheeky grin, unable to hide his joy either. "Thanks for letting us go."

"You're welcome," Ali's mother spoke in mild amusement. "Have fun, you two."

* * *

A little later, the two longnecks were climbing a steep path at the edge of the Valley's walls under the dwindling light of the Bright Circle which lead up to a vantage point from where one could not only have an excellent view into the vast expenses of the Mysterious Beyond but also get a splendid look at the night sky. Thankfully, the few Sky Puffies that had occasionally crawled across the sky during the day had dissipated, revealing a clear sky. Weather was perfect. As the two young longnecks arrived, the first Blinky Lights began to pop up and the colour of the sky began to approach a dark blue, soon to become pitch-black.

"Is this the place you mentioned?" Ali puzzled as they stepped onto a rock ledge hanging far into the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot came to a standstill as she piped up, peering into the far distance.

"Eeyup, this is the place," the boy replied, grinning. "This is from where I saw your herd coming when we met for the first time."

"I see," Ali replied with a smile. Together, they walked up to the outer edge, glimpsing down the abyss below them.

"Better not fall off this rock though," the boy joked and Ali instinctively took a few steps back which made Littlefoot laugh. Their moment of joy was rather short-lived though. Littlefoot could see nervousness grow in Ali's face which was so good-looking when she smiled – he supposed that it had to do with the thing she meant to talk about. "So… what is it that you wanted to talk about, Ali?" he wondered in a casual voice, seating himself some distance from the edge on the smooth rock which formed the ledge they were standing on.

Ali didn't quite respond, instead hunching down next to him with a serene expression.

"Ali?" he reinforced his inquiry after some moments had passed.

"It- I don't know where to start yet… or how…" Ali stated awkwardly, looking away bashfully. "G-give me a little moment to sort my thoughts please…"

"Sure thing," Littlefoot responded with a bemused look. _"__Ali sure is acting funny…" _the boy concluded as he took occasional side glances at the girl who was invested in gawking at the rising Night Circle on the far horizon with a thoughtful, almost pained expression. But, truth be told, it wasn't just Ali who was acting out of character. A funny feeling was manifesting itself in his body – the strangely churning, awkward and yet happy feeling he'd felt earlier in the day already. Just what did it mean? Did it have to do with the fact that he was hanging out with her or because he and Ali were alone right now? Every time he'd felt it, Ali had been right next to him though they hadn't always been alone when he did. Somehow, Littlefoot began to rise some suspicions but since he didn't know the meaning behind this, he could only muse about the significance of these new, odd sensations which Ali's arrival brought along.

Another side glance at the female longneck. Ali seemed very restless, Littlefoot noted, and, somehow, it seemed as though every time she changed her pose, her body was gradually inching closer to his, almost to the point where it began to feel uncomfortable in an awkward fashion yet he couldn't really object. The touch of her skin felt kind of nice, although it didn't help his attempts to find out more, only that it somehow seemed to make the feeling more intense by the minute, increasing his uneasiness but also his happiness. Just what did it mean? What was messing with his head?

Suddenly, their tails touched and Littlefoot could feel an electric current, strangely warm and pleasant, running through his body, energizing him and causing an odd sense of ecstasy. He couldn't quite place those findings yet but all he knew was that he wanted to feel this again. Instinctively, he moved his tail as well and turned his long neck once again to take a glimpse at Ali only to find the girl facing him, apparently having the same idea at the same moment.

***thump* *thump***

_"__Why is my heart beating like I've climbed a whole mountain?"_ At this point, it was futile to deny that Ali had something to do with this. Their eyes met for a brief moment; Ali's blue eyes were reflecting the light of the Night Circle and, albeit just for a second, a shy smile flashed across her face before she looked away bashfully.

_"__What is this feeling!?"_ Littlefoot was confused to the point that it made him angry at his lack of comprehension. He liked Ali, he really did, always did, but still he hadn't ever felt like this about her before. Perhaps it was a thing when one was getting older? He was already beginning to realize that The Time of Great Growing entailed much more than growing like crazy as the name implied. He could almost hear his grandpa's voice in his head, explaining how children began to think differently about the other gender, sometimes without realizing it.

_"__Wait a second…"_ Littlefoot was close to the answer but that was when Ali decided to speak up again.

"Littlefoot?" The girl was still not looking at him directly, looking a little beside him as if something greatly embarrassed her. "D-d-do you l-l-like me?"

"Huh?" Apparently, Ali had sorted her thoughts now, however Littlefoot's first impression was that she'd done a terribly poor job. What a stupid question to ask something so obvious. Weren't they good – no, very good friends? Best friends? Either way, he needn't waste a second about her silly question for he really did like her.

"Silly, you're a very good friend, we just wouldn't be if I didn't like you," he responded with a grin, teasing the girl a little but Ali's reaction strongly indicated that he had missed the point after all.

"T-that's not quite what I meant, Littlefoot…" Ali said quietly, awkwardly shifting around on the spot. "I knew that you like me of course but do you… like me? See…" She shifted around some more, sitting right next to him so that their whole flanks touched.

_"__Urgh, why… this tickles from the inside!" _Touching the girl like that amplified the odd feeling which Littlefoot suspected to be a feeling towards Ali tenfold if not more. Littlefoot couldn't help but smile happily. _"__This feels so nice though…"_ Being up close like this felt so rewarding; her body was warm and her skin was much smoother than his. Instinctively, he allowed himself to lean slightly to the right – against Ali, feeling content doing so.

Ali didn't speak up again so the boy began to study the sky with all its blinking lights intently, hoping he'd get to see one of those travelling blinky lights that raced across the sky as opposed to their stationary brothers, flashing up just for a brief moment, some so bright that they rivalled the Night Circle for just a short moment. Rumor had it that seeing them gave the one who saw them a free wish to be granted. Would he see one tonight? It certainly wasn't too common to spot them, many simply weren't bright enough and more often than not he'd fall asleep rather quick during observation. Certainly, he'd seen a few during his life but never had a wish turned true yet, frankly, so Littlefoot remained a little wary. Nonetheless, trying to spot one gave the observation of the blinky lights a whole new level of entertainment.

Although he didn't want to say it out loud, Littlefoot was still puzzled as to why Ali had suddenly stopped talking once their bodies touched. Certainly, she couldn't have been finished? A quick glance at her confirmed that she was still very thoughtful although he could hardly tell what his friend was truly thinking about or feeling at that moment. At least she seemed a little less troubled than before. Littlefoot could only muse that this way of spending time together, sitting up close and simply letting one's mind relax from the many events of the day, had calmed down the girl and he himself couldn't deny that he liked it… liked her. Only Ali was capable of causing these odd yet pleasant and desirable emotions and, slowly, Littlefoot began to rejoice. For all he cared, he'd like Ali to stay at his side just like that for a while longer…

_"__Wait, isn't this what lovey-dovey people are like when they're together?!"_ Suddenly, that thought crossed his mind and lingered when he thought about how his grandparents or other couples spent time like this together, getting physically close and doing things that lovers usually did… Instantly, Littlefoot jerked slightly as the implementations began to dawn on him.

"Is-is something wrong?" Ali wondered shyly, momentarily turning her neck to look at him.

"O-oh, not at all!" Littlefoot quickly assured. "I was just thinking that I saw a flashing light on the sky but I guess I was seeing things. Wandering Lights sure are rare after all…" It was a quick lie he'd forged up out of the blue but it seemed to satisfy Ali's curiosity. He wasn't really sure if what he'd just figured was really true and, even if it was, could he tell her? Could he really tell Ali that he liked her like his grandparents liked each other? How Topps and Tria liked each other… Was it even that kind of feeling to begin with? Was Ali sharing it? He was only now beginning to grasp on what Ali had tried to say earlier.

_"__Come to think of it, whatever she meant to tell me earlier, she felt uneasy about it… I feel uneasy about this myself so could it be the same feeling after all? Does Ali like me more than I thought? Do I… like her more than I thought I do? She didn't tell me in the end but… maybe she was acting so weird because she wanted to show me instead? After all… she did get rather close like… like my grandparents often do… So does she- does she like me that much? Do I like her this much? I feel… something b-but it's a feeling I've never felt before… Could this be how it feels like to be… in love with someone? Yes, maybe…"_ Littlefoot's thought process came to an abrupt halt when caught the girl glimpsing at him. Just how silly had he been looking while lost in thought like that? Immediately, his stomach was full of tickling little buzzers again, torturing and pleasing him at the same time. Ali didn't look away this time; she was wearing a shy but sweet smile and the Night Circle illuminated her face.

_"__She's beautiful…"_ Littlefoot mused, a warm feeling overcoming him. He was unable to move, unable to avert his gaze. Mutually, their tails touched and intertwined without either of them noticing and his heart began racing in excitement once he realized it.

"Littlefoot," she said in her angelic voice, sweeter than all Tree Sweets the Valley had to offer. "I still haven't told you, Littlefoot…" Her words were quiet; almost a whisper yet Littlefoot heard them loud and clear as if it was Mr. Threehorn with his booming voice yelling next to him. Just hearing her voice which carried so many feelings, so many emotions, made him feel so warm… so happy. Right now, Littlefoot thought that Ali looked and sounded like an angel, her cute smile numbing his senses.

_"__Yes, now I'm sure… this is it indeed,"_ he thought and, finally, he ceased to resist the idea of Ali and him being in a relationship that went beyond friendship which had been subconsciously hindering his thought process before… He liked the girl more than he'd ever thought and, with his confusion about his feelings sorted out and knowing that Ali shared them, he no longer felt uneasy to say out loud what Ali had been trying to tell him already before. But the girl beat him to speaking up first.

"For a long time, I thought the feelings in my heart were what you feel towards a friend but you were the only one out of my friends where I felt like this… at first I thought it had to do with the fact that you're the only longneck but… even Rhett, I once considered him a friend too and I felt nothing like that…"

Littlefoot couldn't help but grin in a sheepish kind of manner for he already knew what Ali meant to reveal in front of him. Thinking back about her behavior throughout the day, it was so strikingly obvious that she had a crush on him now that he was aware of it as well as of his very own crush. These feelings were absolutely mutual and the boy really wanted to be the one who finally said it out loud, given how ridiculously dense he had been up until now…

"It's the same for me!" he exclaimed but then he began to ring for words to say as his mind entered a love-stricken turmoil. "I sensed a strange feeling deep inside me ever since you arrived here the other day, not knowing what it is or what it means… It has been bothering me ever since whenever you were around me b-but it's not a bad feeling at all – it was only annoying because I didn't understand it until a moment ago! D-don't get the wrong idea…" Embarrassed, Littlefoot had to look away when Ali put on a mirthful expression all of a sudden, fully aware of what Littlefoot was getting into and very glad about it, appreciating, moreover, that he decided to try saying the words she couldn't bring over her lips, these words so tough to say despite how important they were to her.

"You only just realized, huh?" the girl said in a bantering tone, looking even more adorable when she giggled about the expression that he made in response.

"Y-yeah, I guess…" Littlefoot hummed bashfully. Nevertheless, now was the chance of his lifetime so he broke free from the curse keeping his tongue in check and spoke up with new confidence. "Ali, I…"

"I know." Abruptly, the girl moved her neck forward, her nose touching his ever so tenderly. At that moment, no more words needed to be said as the moonlight illuminated their silhouettes. Littlefoot smiled happily, closing his eyes and rejoicing in the moment, Ali doing the exact same thing. They spent a little while like that, relaxing now that each of them knew of the yet unsaid feeling that they shared, that was until Ali retreated a little in order to take a new glimpse at the purple-grey boy who she adored so much.

"I couldn't be happier right now," she merely stated with a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Same here," Littlefoot replied, gathering all his courage to finish the sentence he'd meant to say earlier before Ali had intercepted his first attempt with that sweet moment they had shared just now. "Ali?"

"Mhm?" The girl tilted her head somewhat, resulting in a facial expression so cute and adorable that Littlefoot was taken aback for a moment.

"I-I really really like you and-and I think you…you look…" Embarrassment began to hit like rocks falling from the sky and Littlefoot could bet a week's share of Tree Sweets that his cheeks were on fire at that moment.

"Hmmmmmm?" Ali grinned, knowing full well that this would be Littlefoot's confession.

"I think you look really nice like… in a beautiful kind of manner, I mean…" Littlefoot stopped when Ali's uncontained laughter cut through the silence of the night. Littlefoot didn't know what was happening until he felt Ali's warm cheek touching his own and he relaxed immediately, leaning against the girl.

"Anyway, Ali, I…" he unglued himself from her cheek again as to look the girl into her beautiful blue eyes when he finally said it.

"I love you, Ali!"

"Silly," she whispered in a sweet voice, her smile broader than her face could contain. "I love you too, Littlefoot. I want to be together with you here in the Great Valley. Forever."

Littlefoot's heart immediately skipped a few beats before it began beating twice as fast as before.

"Yes, let's be together, you… and me."

Ali didn't say anything else, inching up to Littlefoot as close as was physically possible. Littlefoot immediately returned the favor, simply closing his eyes as he leaned against the girl, his smile broader than ever. Today had been one of the best days in his life; the issue with Rhett just couldn't change that fact, not when he learned today that his distant childhood friend was now what his friends would probably dub his "flame", although Littlefoot didn't really think of them like that just yet. It was true that he and Ali now shared a special bond but they would have to strengthen that bond before they could become true lovers. For now, he settled on calling it a serious, mutual crush.

The feeling of Ali at his side truly was a marvelous one and the boy made sure to take in every second of it while he could, not knowing how many opportunities like that would open up in the near and distant future – Ali seemed to think likewise. Now was simply not the time to worry about any of that. Time was passing in slow-motion but, gradually, the Night Circle rose higher on the sky and so were the blinky lights in their unique constellations and positions.

"You know, I could do this all night…" Littlefoot eventually spoke up with a content sigh, his voice soft, almost dreamy although Ali made sure to beat him in that regard, sounding even more distant and absentminded when she replied.

"I could fall asleep like this…" she yawned contently.

"No way, I promised your mother to return you home," Littlefoot retorted playfully.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Ali said with a smile. "Just a little longer, okay?"

"Sure thing," Littlefoot chuckled, feeling a warm sensation of tiredness slowly embrace him too. His eyes were roaming the skies again to keep him awake and to get a chance at seeing a Wandering Light. Admittedly, it was a silly rumor to chase after and there was simply no proof that wishes really did come true, yet he preferred to believe in those rumors for right now he had a really important heart wish; having it granted would mean the world to him.

"By the way, should we tell the others?" Ali quietly spoke up after a while, not taking her eyes off the sky, apparently admiring the amazing spectacle as well, not ceasing to snuggle up to him.

"Huh?" Littlefoot jerked slightly since he was lost in concentrated observation.

"Well, I am wondering… should we keep it a secret that we…" Ali couldn't help to giggle in a silly manner. "Well, that we are a lot closer now."

"Oh, a-actually…" Littlefoot blurted out in slight nervousness. "Let me think about it for a second…" Ali had mentioned a good point. Should they let on that were now lovey-dovey with each other publically or should they act as unsuspicious as possible while they weren't alone by themselves? Truth be told, Littlefoot felt eerie and very uneasy about other dinosaurs seeing them being close and intimate with each other and, in particular, his grandparents and his friends. "I'm certain I'll never hear the end of if it they find out…" he frowned and just thinking about what Cera's reaction might be like if she walked in on them being like this gave him shivers.

"Erm, perhaps we shouldn't make it too obvious…" the boy eventually reasoned, however, completely acting as if this night had never happened was something he didn't want to go through either nor, he surmised, could he act normal around Ali, not anymore. "We don't have to tell anyone and… well, we should be subtle while the others are around, I think?"

"Yeah, I was thinking along those lines myself," Ali admitted. "See, it's not just Rhett's comments I'm afraid of…"

"I could never look Cera in the eye again if ever she finds out about this…" Littlefoot uttered a profound groan which made Ali laugh loudly.

"I can so imagine, hahaha!"

"Okay, then it's decided, let's do it like we discussed!" he announced with a smile.

***flash***

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded both of them momentarily. Littlefoot blinked and then he saw what was the source of the sudden phenomenon.

"A Wandering Light!" Ali exclaimed in awe before he could voice his own astonishment about his surprising luck. A wondrous spectacle was unfolding in front of their eyes as the two young longnecks leaned against one another while watching the natural fireworks on the skies, the flash of light disappearing to reveal a fiery streak cutting through the distant sky, breaking into several segments before slowly fading into the darkness.

"Make a wish, Ali," Littlefoot whispered, happy and content.

"Already did," Ali mumbled quietly, smiling with her eyes closed once it was over. Even the skies were celebrating their new relationship, it appeared.

"Me too," he announced. "Let's hope our wishes come true."

"Yep." Ali gently rubbed her cheek against Littlefoot's who returned the gesture just as carefully, chuckling in a silly manner. "Will you tell me what you wished for?"

"Of course not!" Littlefoot thundered indignantly. "A wish won't ever come true if you go around telling everyone. You have to keep it to yourself or you'll have bad luck instead. Or so they say…" Playfully, he poked the girl who giggled heartily.

"Right, right!" Ali returned the gesture which was the start of a poke war which soon turned into a full-fletched play fight, both longnecks laughing in silly fun. It was only when breathing became difficult that they laid back down to recover from that overdose of laughter.

"That was fun!" Ali said with a happy sigh.

"You bet!" Littlefoot agreed eagerly but there was a grain of salt spoiling his mood somewhat. "We should go back soon though or your mother might get angry with us."

"Yeah…" A quick moment of melancholy struck the pink-coloured girl but her smile was back up in no time. "Oh well, let's get going then. Tomorrow is another day."

"You say it!" Littlefoot agreed. "Better not be too tired to play tomorrow."

Ali gave a curt nod. Without another word, the two young longnecks made their way back under the watchful glance of the Night Circle and a certain beige-coloured longneck…

* * *

**This is my submission for the february prompt of the Gang of Five Forum fanfiction prompt challenge for the prompt "Love"**

**So, yay! Littlefoot and Ali shippers come forth, I guess? xD Just writing this made me super happy, I really hope it'll have a similar effect on you :)**

**But Rhett is up to something and the next prompt is "conflict/battle" so... uh oh...**

* * *

hadiginga chapter 3 . Mar 7

I really hate rhett he always tells lies I don't want him to be whit Ali I want Ali to be with littlefoot

**Don't worry, Rhett won't win. The love between Littlefoot and Ali is stronger than his idiocy ;)**

* * *

LittlefootXAli chapter 3 .Mar 7

Chomper joked about eating Rhett. That seems like a more likely scenario now.

**No Rhett on the menu in this story but Rhett will get what he deserves :)**

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Guest chapter 3 .Mar 8

Thank you for the thoughtful response. You've already heard my thoughts on this chapter, as per usual given our arangment, but there's no harm in reiterating a few things. I've despised Rhett since his unfortunate introduction, but somehow you've made me think even less of him. Upon my first reading I didn't expect Rhett to be physically stronger than Littlefoot, but it creates an intriguing brain vs brawn dynamic that suits Littlefoot. After all throughout the franchise he's survived by strategizing rather than using brute strength to solve his problems. It will be interesting to see how he deals with this. While I absolutely hate how he treats Ali like property, I commend you for making a realistic love triangle. Yes it's not a true love triangle since Rhett's feels are unreciprocated, but situations like this are far from the happy misunderstanding the tv show portrayed. Ali's confession to her mother was also very well done. Although I wholeheartedly agree with Ali, both of them came off as reasonable to some extent and you never demonized her mother for the sake of her argument. It felt like I real emotional conversation between family members and clearly conveyed why Ali is dissatisfied with her life in the herd. You've always been good with emotional scenes, both positive and negative, and that's on display here. For example, this chapter shows sides of Ali that are typically ignored by most authors. No one is perfect and this chapter shows her acknowledging a character flaw. Likely due to her compassion, Ali can be eager to please. Both wanting everyone to be happy and to see her in a positive light. While this is good intentioned, it can lead to situations like what you described in her conversation with her mother. Although to her credit she is trying to overcome this much like her shyness in the fourth film. In addition you also showed her more jovial side like what we saw in their original meet cute scene. I like that you subverted the trope of the shy girl who doesn't know how pretty she really is. By contrast Ali seems to know exactly how pretty she is and seeing her take advantage of that for some lighthearted teasing of Littlefoot was very entertaining.

Great work as always, I look forward to seeing what happens next.

**Thank you very much!**

**I don't have much to say in response since everything you mentioned is true and correct. I'm super glad that you are happy with my work and I hope future chapters will work out just as great as the ones you've just praised :)**

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The Rhombus chapter 2 .Mar 12

Well, it looks like Rhett has not improved his people skills any. :p Although he and Ali are the only longnecks of roughly the same age in the herd, it seems that he has taken a different route in this tale than in the Seven Hunters. Instead of soul searching and reflecting on his shortcomings, he has become even more fixated on Ali despite her obvious misgivings, and now the animosity is building in him to actual cause Littlefoot harm. I can see how this is not going to end well...

The Rhombus chapter 3 .Mar 12

"After the group was done eating (Chomper had disappeared for a bit)"

I somewhat hoped that Chomper was having a certain friend for dinner, if you know what I mean. :p

Ali has certainly put her thoughts into meaningful words at this point as she told her mother about her desire to leave the herd in order to be free of Rhett's unwanted affections. At the same time we get to experience the full extent of Rhett's unrivaled dickishness. The fact that due to his lifestyle Rhett would be the probable victor in any fight and that longneck society is apparently quite medieval about courtship and what "consent" is, creates a rather dark perspective in our favorite sauropod's mind. I can certainly see why Ali is looking for an off-ramp from her current life.

I suspect that with Rhett's scheming, Littlefoot might have to use his wits (where he has a large advantage over Rhett) in order to outmaneuver Rhett's aggression. I can certainly guess how the "love" and "conflict" prompts are going to be fulfilled in the near-future. :p I look forward to seeing how this story develops in the chapters to come!

**Thanks for the review(s)!**

**Yes, Rhett is acting like a big douche here and that's quite intended :DD**

**I certainly know what you mean but I'm afraid Rhett is not on the menu... :P**

**All well said, Littlefoot's wits will be more than required in the next chapter, that much I can guarantee already. And yes... now you see why I was so keen on using this for the prompt challenge for even the order of prompts mostly fits the action of the story :)**


	5. Chapter 4 - More Trouble with Rhett

**Well, here's the thing... the next 4 chapters are longer than the 3 (+ prologue) posted yet. I was hoping to somehow meet the deadline for the fanfiction prompt challenge but it quickly became clear that I wouldn't due to various reasons. But worry not, this story will be finished regardless of how far I fall behind the deadlines. Too much work has gone into it plus it's a joy to write about Rhett xD**

**That being said, I won't spam 30k worth of content at the same time like I did with chpt 1 &2. I intent to pick up working on this story once my summer break starts (in about a month) and catch up posting the chapters until then. Now, without further ado, here you go!**

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**Chapter 4:**** More Trouble with Rhett**

To say Rhett was furious would be a huge understatement. His legs were trembling with utter rage, his dinner had long since escaped his belly and it had taken a tremendous amount of strength and willpower not to interrupt and beat him to a piece of meat.

"That retarded asshole… he won't get away with this!"

As much as he wanted to headbutt some sense into the boy who was now engaging with the girl he desired with all of his body and senses, that just wouldn't be honorable. Rhett couldn't care less if this was just a normal brawl between males but since it was about a female, honor was important. He'd learned all about the traditions and he was thinking about challenging Littlefoot into a traditional fight in which the winners gets to take the female. It was quite common in many places and part of the reason why he'd always tried his best at being tough and strong so that one day he could choose who to mate with. Not that he was old enough to do so just yet but females were better earned early and his opponent, Littlefoot, seemed like an opponent he didn't need to worry about. Heck, would he even be aware of the existence of such a tradition? Based on how he'd perceived the Valley on his two visits so far, it was a place full of wimps who valued peace and harmony above everything else and Littlefoot was perhaps the most disgusting example.

_"__He absolutely mustn't rub off these idiotic traits on Ali or that girl will be spoiled for the rest of her life!"_

Fuming, he watched the two lovebirds leave the outlook at last. His wrath was no longer directed at Littlefoot alone but partly at Ali as well for she was stupid enough to fall for an idiot like him. Ali had deceived him cruelly but it wasn't too late to change her. Luck was now on his side after all.

_"__Those fools, they made a wish in company of each other…"_ A cold laugh escaped his mouth, just quiet enough to go unnoticed. _"__That boy is so retarded, did he not know that one does not only have to keep their wish a secret but also BE by oneself when casting the wish? That's just causing bad luck instead and I just know what they wished for…"_ An evil grin appeared on Rhett's face all of a sudden. _"__Idiots, you're not the only ones who've seen that light. I made a wish too and it'll be superior to your lovey-dovey bullshit!"_

Having that in mind gave the boy new energy and spirit after losing his dinner due to the disgust and anger he'd felt. Now, it was time to spoil their happy evening and get some enjoyment out of this at last. Besides, he still had a few things to say to Littlefoot… Without hesitation, Rhett stepped out into the open, no longer caring whether Ali was part of his scheme anymore for how spoiled she was…

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"Hold it right there!"

Littlefoot jerked out of his happy trance when a harsh voice broke the silence of the night. He immediately recognized the voice that spoke up but Ali was quicker to speak up.

"I can't believe it!" she yelled at no one in particular while turning around to face the newcomer to the scene who was obviously the recipient of her outburst though. "I thought I'd tricked you!"

Rhett jogged up to the pair to confront them, wearing something between a smug grin and an angry frown.

"Fools, it was a child's play to find you again after ditching me…" Rhett began strutting around the two as their angry glares were repelling from him. "I must say, you're more gutsy than you let on earlier, Littlefoot. Didn't we have… a deal?"

"You're the fool here if you think he was taking you serious!" Ali yelled angrily. "Bugger off and leave us alone!"

"Well, I'm afraid I can do as I please," the boy cackled. "But, go ahead, make me leave if you can… or maybe your loser," Rhett cleared his throat audibly. "I mean your lover might be able to chase me away?"

"Spit it out, Rhett, what do you want?" Littlefoot deadpanned. "If it's the same thing you asked of me earlier then don't get your hopes too high…"

Rhett's expression froze the cackle in his voice disappearing, making way for a fiercer undertone.

"Listen, flathead, I suggest that you renounce that enhanced "friendship" you two just formed… for your own good as well as Ali's."

"You SAW everything?!" Ali suddenly screamed in outrage.

"Don't get the wrong idea, it was so disgusting to witness that I puked several times, in fact," Rhett said, downplaying the issue but he'd made the girl very furious.

"If I catch you again following any of us around, you'll be in big trouble, Rhett, that's a promise!"

"I don't give a damn, okay?" Rhett retorted fiercely. "You'd better watch what you say stupid girl. If I catch YOU with this dimwit again, I promise you, BOTH of you, that you'll be very very sorry… Listen to my words!"

Littlefoot and Ali exchanged worried glances and it needed no words to communicate what they were feeling. Littlefoot's reply came promptly.

"I decline your ridiculous demand, Rhett. Ali has already chosen who she likes… and who she doesn't…" Ali stood beside him with a firm stare.

"That's right! Both of us have chosen and you're not part of our choice, Rhett!"

"Sorry, nothing you can do," Littlefoot reinforced their statement. "Deal with it and stop whining like a little child. It's embarrassing, you know?"

The beige-coloured longneck twitched.

"Listen, I have chosen YOU long ago, Ali, and I don't give a crap whether either of you like it or not," Rhett hissed angrily while stepping dangerously close to the pair, frowning at Littlefoot. "About you, you better watch your mouth or you might find it bloody and stuffed with itchy grass when I'm done with you. Remember this you pathetic fool; the males choose the females… accept it or fight for her… not that you'd stand a chance against awesome me…"

Now it was Ali's turn to twitch.

"I knew you were an inconceivable idiot, Rhett, but actually you're irredeemably stupid and beyond help! Let's go, Littlefoot!"

"Yeah…" Littlefoot agreed, shooting a glare at the beige-coloured longneck. "We're wasting our time here, let's go home." The two longnecks made an attempt to turn around and leave but Rhett wouldn't allow them to leave, not before he'd achieve a mental victory over them. Angrily, he entered a sprint and, like a spear, thrust his muscular body between the two friends, knocking Ali down in the process.

"Are you crazy?!" Littlefoot yelled in an outrage but before he knew it Rhett had pushed him from his feet.

"What if I am?" Rhett chuckled. Littlefoot tried to break free but Rhett had him tackled firmly to the ground. "Okay, dumbass. I thought I'd made it very clear what I'm going to do if you continue to cross my plans but let me phrase it again…"

"How dare you, Rhett!" Ali yelled while getting back to her feet unscathed. Rhett ignored her completely.

"Make up your mind until tomorrow, flathead. If I see you with Ali one more time, you'll have to bear the consequences of your stupidity!" Rhett spit on the ground next to Littlefoot before he turned his attention to the girl. "I'll have my way, Ali. I promise you," he hissed quietly before he got up, releasing Littlefoot, and disappeared into the dark of the night.

Ali was trembling with rage.

"You insufferable asshole!" she cried into the dark forest but Rhett had already disappeared. Needless to say, the pink-coloured girl was steaming like a hot spring at boiling temperature.

"Calm down, he's not worth it…" Littlefoot spoke quietly as he struggled back to his feet, stretching his muscles after being forced into such an uncomfortable position for so long. Immediately, he walked up to her, standing by her side, unharmed.

"I know but… URGH!" Ali stomped her foot before some tears began running down her cheeks. "H-he ruined E-EVERYTHING!" What could have been the best day of her life had turned into frustration and fear. Ali could tell that Rhett was dead serious about this and, therefore, their relationship was already in danger before it could begin to blossom.

"Don't worry..." Littlefoot spoke in a quiet, slightly concerned and tired but soothing voice, touching the girl's tail in a comforting manner. "He won't get what he wants; I simply refuse to let him do as he pleases. Ali, I love you and I'll do everything I can to make sure that we can be together like this. But let's go home now, we'll figure something out later…"

Ali snuggled up to him for a moment until her sobs died down.

"T-thanks, Littlefoot," she said quietly. "Let's go."

Ali's mother was already sleeping when the two longnecks arrived back at Ali's temporary residence in the Valley.

"I'll come to get you tomorrow after the Bright Circle rises," Littlefoot spoke as the two looked each other in the eye, though none of them was wearing a happy expression.

"Okay, "Ali merely replied, looking down a little until she felt Littlefoot's cheek meet her own.

"Don't worry, we're stronger than him," Littlefoot hummed.

"Yeah, there are two of us after all." Slowly, a weak smile crept up her face.

"Goodnight, Ali," Littlefoot whispered, rubbing her cheek intimately.

"Sleep well," Ali yawned with a smile before they separated.

* * *

Neither of them had been able to sleep well that night but when the first rays of the Bright Circle peeked above the mountains to the east, they knew that they couldn't rest, not when Rhett was trying to tear them apart.

While Littlefoot's biggest concern was a potential brawl between Rhett and him – a situation he was utterly inexperienced in safe for the numerous arguments with Cera that ended in a physical fight, Ali was spending the first moments of the day attempting to figure out a way to distract Rhett and sneak away from the nest.

_"__Obviously, I can't distract him myself so I'll have to bribe someone to give him a task…"_ As the girl puzzled about the matter, she gobbled down some treestars from the lower branches of a tree she could just barely reach. Her initial thought seemed quite inviting, however there was one big issue.

_"__Not only do I have to make sure Rhett doesn't catch wind of this, but also he'd better not realize it was me…"_ Rhett was already beyond aggressive and a little spark like that might light up all his anger at once. Whoever she bribed (that was another issue, right?) had to act thorough and unsuspicious lest the boy catches who really gave him a job to do. And who might have the qualities to perform such an act? Unfortunately, she didn't know many longnecks in her herd which gave her rather few options.

_"__If I picked my mum, I'm sure she'd help me out but Rhett would see through this in no time…"_

Suddenly, thundering footsteps shook the ground and then the tree she was eating from shook violently as another grown-up took a big mouthful of leaves. It was her mother, apparently awake now.

"Good morning, Ali," the female spoke casually as she enjoyed the rare opportunity to taste lush and green treestars.

"Good morning," Ali said neutrally, not looking up and attempting to pick up her thought again.

"Something the matter dear? You look troubled." The grown-up bent down her neck. "You didn't have a fight with Littlefoot last night?"

"No, no, we had a great time but… you see…" Just then, it occurred to the girl to ask for advice. "Rhett has been following me around all day despite how we tricked him during that game of Hide and Seek. It makes me feel uncomfortable and… I need to make sure he's not following me around again today. Do you have any idea how we could distract him?"

"Following you around?" her mother wondered curiously. "You're not saying he's stalking you now, are you?"

"Hmm, I guess you could say that, yes. He also followed us last night and caused us quite some grief with his nonsense! See, he's trying to separate me from Littlefoot because he wants me all for himself… or something like that."

"Tsk, that boy really doesn't have any manners, does he?" The grown-up shook her head with a sigh. "I'm beginning to understand why he's causing you so much grief."

"Yeah, he's such an idiot!" Ali complained, slamming her tail onto the ground to underline her point. "So… what do we do?"

"Well, Old One gave me and a few others a task; I could simply take him with me, pretending he's been ordered to. I shouldn't be done before noon so I'd be helping you there, right?"

"That'd be great but… mum, he mustn't realize that I'm all behind it. He's in a terrible mood and he's even been threatening Littlefoot last night…"

"Don't worry, I can be very strict and authentic." Ali's mother gave her daughter a wink before she turned serious again. "By all means though, please report to me if he's following you around again. I won't say anything when I take him on this scouting mission Old One gave me but I'll notify Old One if he does it again."

"Yeah, she's the only one he might listen to…" Ali sighed. "Well, thank you for helping me out."

"You're welcome, I know the time with your friends is very important for you so it's the least I can do." The grown-up smiled when Ali gave her a quick nuzzle. "So, I take it you're going out playing with your friends again?"

"Yes, Littlefoot should be here soon to pick me up, I think he said that we're going to do some exploring around the Valley today," the girl answered.

"Ah, that's great," the adult replied as she finished her breakfast. "Have fun, I'll go get that rascal now and do my tasks. Don't be back too late."

"Sure, see you later!" Ali called before she resumed her own breakfast. Things had gone much better than she could have thought and now she could only pray that her scheme would work and that Rhett wouldn't realize where they'd gone…

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A little earlier, Littlefoot had been caught by his grandfather as well as he rummaged deep in his mind for a solution against Rhett's threat. He hadn't really found anything yet so he decided to put his faith into his wise grandparent.

"Quite unusual to see you all thoughtful in the morning, Littlefoot," the old male mused as his neck descended onto Littlefoot's head level. "Is something the matter?"

"Hmm, you could say that," Littlefoot mumbled as he interrupted his fruitless efforts.

"You didn't have a fight with your friends, did you? Or…" a mirthful look appeared on his face. "Does it have to do with a certain girl longneck?"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. Obviously, he couldn't tell his grandfather that he was much closer to Ali now, he'd break the promise he'd made with the girl. And yet… in a way, it really did have to do with Ali…

"Not exactly…" he responded thoughtfully. "But… Grandpa, there is something that's bothering me or… maybe I should say… someone."

"Oh? How can I help you, Littlefoot? What happened?"

And so, the boy explained the situation that had unfolded the previous night without letting on that he was actually in a relationship with Ali.

"So, you see, Rhett thinks I'm an opponent for him but we just wanna have fun while we can… and he's spoiling that…"

"Ah, that's understandable, Littlefoot," his grandfather spoke calmly. "I suppose words were not enough to dissuade him then?"

Littlefoot gave a frustrated nod. "You know, I believe he wants to start a fight with me. He's been saying stuff like "the males pick the females" and when I asked Ali what he meant she said that some longnecks apparently consider it tradition to fight over the females… Is that true, grandpa? I… don't like the sound of it…"

The expression of the old longneck darkened.

"That's right, some longnecks live by this principle though none of us ever thought high of it," he explained with a sigh. "If that Rhett guy challenges you, please don't accept it no matter what he says. Stay close to your friends, you outnumber him too greatly when you're together. I think that's really all I can do. He's a member of Ali's herd so it will be up to her to get the higher-ups in her herd to stop him."

"Don't worry, I don't want to get involved with an idiot like him…" Littlefoot grunted.

"That's good, now I suggest you have yourself some breakfast. You need a lot of energy to grow and have fun, right?" His grandfather's eyes twinkled.

"Right!" Littlefoot chuckled. "Thanks, Grandpa!"

* * *

A little later, he was heading towards Ali's nest.

_"__Come to think of it, he wasn't much of a help,"_ the boy concluded as he allowed the conversation to penetrate his mind once again. _"__But I guess it is indeed Ali who can set things into motion here… I'll need to talk to her about it…"_ With that in mind, Littlefoot increased his speed and hurried to the little forest were she now lived.

Ali's mood brightened up when she saw Littlefoot jog towards her. Quickly, she scanned the area to see that nobody was nearby.

"Hiiiiiiii," she chirped when he arrived, exchanging a quick nuzzle before someone could catch them doing it.

"Hi Ali," Littlefoot greeted her with a smile, returning the slightly impetuous greeting. "How's the situation?"

"Rhett has been taken care of… for now… I hope…" the girl responded a little uncertainly. "My mother agreed to take him with her while she's doing stuff for Old One so we should be able to ditch him today."

"Great thinking!" the boy commended. "I was talking to my grandpa before I came here and he too said that we need to find a way to keep him away from us. Though it'd have to be you since he's a member of your herd…"

"Yeah, if things aren't getting better, I'll have to report him to Old One though I cannot tell if she'll do anything. She isn't judging fairly you must know. Get on her good side and she'll be kind, get on her bad side and she'll be relentless. I'm not sure what side Rhett is on but I think she's still angry at me for going to the Land of Mists back then…"

"I see…" Littlefoot said thoughtfully. "Well, it'll be worth a try I suppose. Let's get going now though so the others don't have to wait for us this time."

"Oh sure, let's go!"

The two young longnecks began heading towards the Secret Caverns though their conversation wasn't over yet.

"Say, what will you do if Rhett really challenges you to a fight?" Ali wondered. "Will you fight him or will you decline?"

"Ali, if only I knew… I-I don't know what to do…" the boy responded with a heavy sigh. "He's made me really mad and part of me wants to kick his butt for the things he did and said but…"

"Yeah… he's strong. No offense, Littlefoot, but… see, if you were to fight, he'd probably win…"

"I'm well aware of that," Littlefoot sighed. "That's why I don't want to accept. But if there's no other way to silence him… I wonder if there are any tricks I could use… I didn't dare ask my grandpa after I realized that he wouldn't be happy…"

"Understandable, I wouldn't know how to fight myself either… Fighting is bad…"

"Yeah…" Littlefoot sighed. "But if he ever harms you, I'll kick his ass for that and if I need help from my friends, I promise you that I will…"

"I'm pretty sure all of them would help us immediately," Ali said with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, it'll all be fine. We'll win."

Littlefoot suddenly had a deja-vu, hadn't he pretty much said the same things to Ali last night?

"Right, let's not be worrywarts. Let's have some fun instead!"

"Indeed, I'm curious what places you're going to show me today," Ali said with a smile.

"Believe me, there are more interesting things to see than we can show you but there's this cave with lots of cool stuff in it. You'll love it!"

And so, they walked the remaining distance until they arrived at the Secret Caverns. Of course they were the last to arrive again.

"What's taken you two so long?" was the first greeting they got when the Secret Caverns came into view and of course it had been Cera, impatient and slightly rude as always who'd been the one to say it. After her initial greeting, her tone changed immediately though. "Well, whatever. Suppose you two've been up all night on a date or something like that?"

_"__Crap, is she bluffing or did she see us?"_ Littlefoot panicked though he quickly settled on the bluff.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Cera," he quickly laughed the accusation away. "I always seem to forget how much food I need for breakfast though. At this rate I'll one day need to eat as much as Spike!" he lied although part of it wasn't too far from reality.

"I can relate, I'm still hungry," Chomper said in a goofy voice. "Where's Rhett when you need him, I could have a little snack right now…" Immediately, Ruby stepped in front of him with her index finger pointed at the little sharptooth which silenced him immediately.

"Oh whatever," Cera grunted. "You managed to give him the slip this morning, Ali?"

For a moment, Ali felt inclined to tell the threehorn about the nightly encounter with the idiotic boy but quickly thought better of it.

"Mmhhmm, I made sure that he has errands to take care of this morning," the female longneck replied with a nod.

"Excellent," Cera stated.

"No Rhett all day and your worries go away, yep yep yep," Ducky chirped which sent a few laughters through their ranks.

"Alright guys." Littlefoot finally took the initiative to get things started for the day. "Is everyone ready to do some exploring? I was thinking that we could try to find some Sky Color Stones today."

"Oh yes yes yes!" Ducky exclaimed in excitement. "I still need to recover those stones I losted-ed a Cold Time ago, yes I do!"

"This time you know where to find them, right Littlefoot?" Cera teased though she froze when Ruby spoke up.

"As far as I remember, I remember that you didn't find a single stone, not a single stone you found."

"W-well, neither did you!" Cera shot back nervously. "I'll show you this time for sure!"

"Well, that gonna be entertaining for sure," Petrie deadpanned before slipping a chuckle.

"Aww, hopefully I'll actually see one this time," Chomper lamented.

"You will, this time you're following me and not look for snapping shells with Littlefoot," Cera said with a smug grin. Everyone seemed hyped to go on this particular search but Ali and Spike. Considering the Spiketail had gotten stuck and was then left behind by Ruby, Cera and even Ducky, that was only understandable. Ducky noticed the Spiketail pouting and poked him in the side.

"Spiky, do not worry, we will not leave you behind this time, I promise, I promise," the swimmer said though it didn't fully convince him. Instead, he mumbled something unintelligible. "Oh, that is right, some of us will not fit but we have gotten bigger and stronger so we can just make the hole bigger too, yep yep yep!"

"Uhm, guys?" Ali finally found the courage to speak up. "Sorry for not knowing but what are those Sky Color Stones you are talking about? See… I don't think I've ever seen one…"

"Oh perfect, it'd be boring if you'd already seen them anyway," Cera said with an encouraging smile.

"What are they though?" the longneck inquired with reserved curiosity.

"You know what Sky Colors are, right?" the threehorn deadpanned.

"Of course I do!" Ali immediately shot back. "They're beautiful, appearing after the rain stops and the Bright Circle returns to the sky!"

"Eeyup, and we've discovered stones that have these colours on the inside!"

"All you need to do is to break them to see that they are Sky Color Stones, break them is what you need to do," Ruby explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh okay, are they pretty too?" Ali wondered.

"Oh yes yes yes, they are, they are!" Ducky exclaimed dreamily. "Very pretty."

"So pretty that you wouldn't let us have any last time…" Cera grunted.

"Uhm, about that…" Ducky began hiding behind Spike in shame.

"Well, let's get going, shall we?" Littlefoot announced. "Cera, would you lead the way since you were the one to find them last time?"

"Sure." A smug grin appeared on her face. "Child's play, I'll find them in no time. Follow me!"

And so the seven friends and Ali set into motion, following the threehorn who led them through the Great Valley… without Rhett in tow this time.

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**You're probably thinking why the heck I'm referencing a tv-series episode of all blasted things. Well, can't blame ya xD**

**The thing is, for the plot to work I need these guys in a cave... and this is the only episode with a cave in it that's half decent ^^ You'll understand after reading the next chapter, yep yep yep :)**

**So, Rhett has been taken care of and the group of friends are setting out on an adventure within the borders of the Great Valley. What could possibly go wrong? Find out in the next chapter! :D**

**Hope you liked this one, please do share your thoughts!**

**PS: I've got 4 chapters of this story done, including this one. I'll try to post one roughly once a week but don't take my word, my moods are swaying in the wind like treestars...**

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hadiginga chapter 4 . Apr 16

"is rhett planing on hurt littlefoot"

hadiginga chapter 4 .Apr 17

"Wen will be a new chapter I want more"

**Thank you for your interest in my story :) Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time and effort to make such a great tale happen so please excuse my slow updates. That being said, I hope you will keep up with my updates since that'll answer your question eventually (in about 2 chapters ^^)**

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The Rhombus chapter 4 . Apr 18

"This chapter quite nicely built upon the developments of the previous installment and showed us the continuing turmoil in Ali's mind as she worked up the courage to speak honestly to Littlefoot about her feelings. From her nervousness, Littlefoot's obliviousness (for a time), and the shooting stars themselves setting the mood, I think that you captured the admission of their love to one another quite effectively. :yes

Now if only a certain member of the gang could deal with Rhett... (Come on, Chomper! None of us will tell the adults if you end up eating him.) In this chapter we see a bit more of his selfishness and creepy stalker-ness as he studies the gang and looks down on them with condescension. I suspect (only partially based upon the prompt :p) that things will be coming to a head soon.

This was a nice chapter as usual. I look forward to seeing how Rhett tries to screw this up in the chapter to come. :p"

**Thank you very much for the review rhombus :)**

**I can confirm that Rhett will be screwing a lot of things up in the chapters to come :DD**

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Guest chapter 4 .Apr 17

"This is the most adorable scene I've ever read on this site. I enjoy your clever use of references, such as their date being on the cliff where he first saw her herd, and the romantic atmosphere on display here is perfect. This really shows the depth of understanding you have for both characters and the result is incredibly relatable. Both of them are a bit akward since it's their first date, exemplified by the line "you look good...in a beautiful way", but the awkwardness never overshadows the chemistry of our longneck couple. It was refreshing to see a romantic scene progress naturally as they became more comfortable with the situation and opened up to one another. All too often I see authors rushing through relationship milestones as quickly as they can, but you wisely chose to take things slowly and focus on character development. In that vein I like how you used all of Ali's established character traits in unique ways. Showing her kindness, shyness, and lighthearted teasing towards Littlefoot when he finally realized his feelings for her. Even with all the praise I've given in this review it still seems inadequate in comparison to the scene you've created. I've wanted to see my two favorite characters in the franchise get together ever since I first saw Journey Through the Mists as a kid and this doesn't disappoint after over a decade of waiting. I have no idea how you're going to top yourself when they meet in SDP, but thank you for everything you've done for the characters of Littlefoot and Ali. After so long they've finally recieved the sweet romantic scene they deserve and I couldn't ask for anything better."

**I know we've talked about this in detail when I wrote this. All I can do now is to thank you once more for your praise and your help with proofreading and decision-making for this story. Believe me, it was such a blast to write this :)**

* * *

Feverfew chapter 4 .Apr 29

"I'm super excited for this story like you don't understand I've been wanting something like this forever thank you so much man! You have these characters down pat!"

**Aww thanks! I hope you'll continue to follow the story despite the slow progress, I've definitely got some cool stuff planned! :)**


	6. Chapter 5 - Adventuring with obstacles

**Chapter 5:**** Adventuring with obstacles**

With joyful and golly chit-chat, the group of adolescent young dinosaurs traveled through dense forests, wide meadows and passed by several watering holes as Cera lead them through the Great Valley. After roughly an hour, they finally stopped in front of a large meadow of slightly dry, yellow-ish grass which almost grew up to the longnecks' height.

"Are we there? I don't see a cave yet," Ali spoke curiously as her gaze checked her surroundings. Some of the group also didn't quite remember where the cave actually was. Given how many places they knew of, it was impossible to keep track of where they were and how to get there.

"Well, I do remember remembering where the cave is but now I forgot how to remember it..." Ruby exclaimed in mild annoyance.

"Same here, I got no clue," Chomper agreed with a shrug.

"Didn't we fall into a hole at some point or was that another cave I'm thinking about?" Littlefoot brought up. Certainly, he could tell that he'd been here before.

"Me no remember," Petrie piped up.

"Yes we did, we did!" Ducky yelled excitedly, naturally not forgetting about her misadventure the first time she visited that cave.

"Eeyup, we've gotta comb through this area until someone falls into the cave, more or less," Cera confirmed. "Let's get started!"

Some uncertain glances were exchanged.

"Well, then I will be the first to find a Sky Color Stone," she added with a smug grin before marching into the field of tall grass, disappearing from view.

"She no be first, Petrie look from above!" the flyer spoke to Ducky with sudden dedication.

"Yep yep yep, we cannot allow her to find them first!" the swimmer agreed, rushing into the thick vegetation herself, Spike taking a few bites before sluggishly following.

"Gee, I wonder if I can smell that opening..." Chomper puzzled, receiving an encouraging smile from Ruby.

"We won't know until we do," she said in her most mysterious voice, both sharptooth and fastrunner darting into the unknown as well.

Littlefoot and Ali exchanged glances.

"Would you like to search together, Littlefoot?" the girl wondered, giving the boy a wink now that they were alone.

"Sure, race me?" Littlefoot challenged.

"No, I don't want to fall into some hole, you go first. If you want to race, I'll let you win."

"Oh, that's fine," the boy responded with a chuckle. "We don't need to be first to get in in order to find these stones first."

"Really? Do you know where to find them?" Ali inquired.

"No, but I'd like to get back at Cera if I can," the longneck said. "You see, back then we had a disagreement about where to find these stones. I ended up being wrong and she was teasing me a lot afterwards - you know how she is."

"Yeah, a bit of a tomboy but she's a great friend," Ali agreed, instinctively walking closer and closer to the boy until their flanks touched.

Suddenly, the grass in front of them moved which caused them to scatter away for a second until a very familiar face appeared.

"Found something yet?" Cera barked half-heartedly, her curious glance lingering and swinging back and forth between the two longnecks. "Oh, maybe you weren't even looking? Excuse me for intruding then." With a mischievous grin, the threehorn went back into the seemingly endless forest of weeds and was out of sight soon.

"Uhm, I'm not really sure what that was all about..." Littlefoot commented somewhat drily while Ali was shrugging.

"She can't know we're..." just in case, the girl lowered her voice, "... that we're in love with each other."

"Yeah, but isn't it odd that she only starts to tease us today?" Littlefoot puzzled. "We've gotta be extra careful or we'll never hear the end of it once this is out..."

"Absolutely," Ali agreed with a firm nod. "Let's keep look..."

Just then, the scream of a certain threehorn echoed across the area...

* * *

Meanwhile, Rhett was following Ali's mother who walked seemingly without aim, strolling through the Great Valley with no hurry whatsoever, seemingly quite in an enchanted mood too though it didn't rub off on him at all. Quite the contrary in fact, it made him tremble in annoyance which quickly turned into an even stronger emotion of aversion.

_"What the fuck am I even doing here? Is this what recon missions are like? The boredom of this is beyond terrible!"_ Truth be told, Rhett had never been tasked to participate in scouting an area for its value for the herd, however now that was hardly important. It wasn't unusual for members of his herd to get certain tasks from their leader, Old One, however it was rather uncommon for children like him to be given any (not that there were many to begin with). In this special case, he felt like he wasn't supposed to be doing anything but walk around the stupid green hell for the mere sake of it and he was beginning to puzzle why he, Rhett the most awesome longneck, had to waste his precious time with a stupideous task like this on a day where it was most inconvenient for him to be forced into running errands like that. Didn't he want to stalk his girl Ali to verify whether or not his words had changed anything, whether Littlefoot would keep away from the longneck of his choice or if he'd be forced to go to all lengths in order to claim Ali for himself, even if it meant beating up an unfortunate wimp? And moreover, was it really a coincidence when considering WHO was doing this task with him?

_"I bet this stupid girl set this up to get rid of me... If that turns out to be true she'll need to be taught a lesson that sticks as well..." _

Kicking a pebble here and there, he followed the grown-up... For now.

* * *

"What was that?" Ali wondered in mild apprehension which turned into confusion when Littlefoot began to laugh.

"Cera probably found it, come on!" he called, racing off into the direction of the scream and, indeed, about a stone's throw away, there was an opening in the ground well hidden from curious eyes.

"Should we go in?" Ali asked, scanning the opening with doubtful eyes.

"Sure, the others should arrive here soon as well, you go after Cera while I call them just in case they didn't hear Cera," Littlefoot responded.

"Okay." Ali climbed down, soon slipping and sliding the remaining distance because of how steep and muddy the earth at the entrance was. At the bottom, she bumped onto hard rock and then into Cera, Chomper and Ruby who were already down there. The cave, so far, was no more than a narrow crevice hardly big enough to stretch her neck to full height - one Cold Time from now she probably wouldn't fit in anymore if her current growth was any indication.

Soon, Littlefoot came skidding in followed by Spike with Petrie clinging to his slowly developing back spikes and Ducky somersaulting after them.

"Great, we're all here," Cera said drily. "We've got to walk a little bit from here, follow me."

* * *

The morning moved on and Rhett was getting ever so frustrated about the situation, knowing Ali was probably off with that dumbass to get lovey-dovey in some lone forest where he couldn't see them. The image of the two invested in romantic head rubbing and kissing which popped up inside his mind was unbearable, finally causing his already damaged temper to break completely.

"Screw this, why am I even supposed to follow you around when there are no tasks to do?!" he eventually ranted when they reached a particularly dense forest without anyone else lumbering about nearby. "We're just walking around doing nothing, what do you need me for, HUH?!"

Ali's mother stopped humming a random tune and became rooted on the spot without turning her head towards the adolescent boy.

"Mhmm, no particular reason..." the adult mused while keeping a neutral voice. "Orders are orders and we have to follow them, isn't that right?"

"I never get tasks like this, why now? Can't you do this without me?!" Rhett continued to rant as he worked himself up.

"I certainly could but Old One specially requested that you came along with me," she lied, knowing full well that the boy wouldn't take it though.

"That's just random crap you made up, Ali told you to, didn't she?! Tell me, I demand it!"

Suddenly the forest turned very quiet as the grown-up longneck gradually craned her neck, approaching the boy in a subtly threatening manner.

"I demand that you finish the job with me. Old One doesn't like to be disappointed by lazy slack-offs like you. Follow me, Rhett."

An expression of pure hate decorated the beige-coloured longneck's face as he endured the quiet staredown of the grown-up.

_"Oh whatever, I'll get what I want anyway, just a little bit later... I guess making any further act will only be a hindrance to me..."_ Rhett uttered an undistinguished grunt before he backed out and walked ahead of the grown-up.

"You'd better walk a little faster than before," was all he muttered, swallowing his aggressions and saving them up for later when they'd become useful to him.

_"I'll so make you pay for this, Ali. Count on it!"_

* * *

The cavern didn't change much for a while, occasionally switching between leading uphill and downhill, making very little turns overall. It was a rather boring trip so far, Ali found, though she had faith in her friends for showing her something cool.

Eventually, the path split into two separate tunnels. Cera halted in her movement.

_"Crap, which way was it?"_ the threehorn grimaced as her gaze flickered between the two paths with uncertainty. For the heck of it, she couldn't recall which path they had chosen last time but any further hesitation would be giving her blunder away and that was something the girl couldn't allow to happen.

"This way!" she announced, wandering along the left tunnel which appeared to be a little less dark than the other.

"Are you sure that this is the right way to go?" Ducky wondered but Cera cut her short.

"Of course it is the right way, come on now!" she declared in a firm voice which didn't allow any further discussion. Shrugging, the others followed the threehorn, hoping that the path would lead them to the Sky Color Stones.

* * *

At noon, Rhett stood in front of the Thundering Waterfalls with Ali's mother.

"Well, I think this is enough for today," the adult longneck said as she admired the sight. "Truly mesmerizing, those waterfalls, aren't they?"

"Eh," Rhett grunted.

"They must be the secret behind the valley's fertility..."

"Hey, can I go now?" the boy inquired impatiently.

"Hmm, I suppose so," the female replied. Rhett had been going on her nerves for a while now, however she felt inclined to hold him up a little longer for Ali's sake. Old One actually didn't know about her taking Rhett though so it was probably better to let him go lest he saw through the lie.

"Yeah, you're released from your duty. I can report the results of our mission alone."

Rhett didn't need to be told twice. Before the grown-up knew, he had already run away.

* * *

_"... No way..."_

Cera gawked at the sight in front of her. The tunnel had been descending quite a bit during the last few minutes and now it dropped into a large underground lake which filled the small cavern up to the ceiling.

"Well, this is clearly a dead end," Chomper sighed as he cast a look at the lake.

"I do not recall having to swim, oh no no no," Ducky said with a glare at Cera. "And I even asked-ed you if you were sure about this tunnel!"

"Good job, Cera," Littlefoot said drily. "Now we can walk all the way back."

"Oh if you know better just lead the way you bloody know-it-all," Cera retorted in slight anger.

"Much rather you should have said that you weren't sure what way is the right one instead of picking one at random!" the longneck argued in annoyance. "Always letting your pride get in the way..."

"Oh shut up you insolent..."

"Hey, no fighting," Ali pleaded.

"Sorry, I was just saying," Littlefoot apologized.

"Yeah, let's go back, sorry," the threehorn gave in, the presence of Ali apparently soothing her usual hard-headed nature somewhat. And so the group turned around and walked the whole way back.

* * *

Panting, the boy arrived back at the nest.

_"Those damn fools, don't they realize that I'm a master of reading tracks? This'll only delay me and buy those idiots time but they can't escape me... I'll definitely find them!"_

Rhett jogged to the place where Ali was usually sleeping and quickly spotted two trails that clearly belonged to Ali and Littlefoot.

They wouldn't escape him.

* * *

As soon as the split in the tunnel had come back in sight, the group began following the other tunnel, however they didn't get far before another split occurred, the path branching into two separate tunnels once more.

"... Great," Cera commented with obvious sarcasm. "What now?"

"Anyone remember what way we've taken last time?" Littlefoot spoke up, addressing everyone in their group but none of them could remember.

"Hmm, I guess we'll have to split up and find out which way is the right?" Ali suggested. "It's how we do it in my herd sometimes, sending out smaller groups in different directions when we don't know where to go."

"Good idea!" Littlefoot exclaimed, immediately in higher spirits.

"Yeah, that might just work," Cera commented neutrally. "Who will take which path?"

"Well, it was Ali's idea so she should be the one determining that," Littlefoot proposed which didn't meet any objections.

"I don't mind taking either tunnel but could I go with you, Littlefoot?" the girl asked in a sweet voice.

"Anyone mind?" the boy casually questioned.

"Go ahead, we'd only be in the way," Cera commented mirthfully which Littlefoot answered with a roll of his eyes - he still couldn't tell whether the threehorn was teasing into the blue or if she knew.

"Okay, we'll separate here and meet back up once we've found the right way or a dead end, alright?" he announced to his friends who nodded in agreement. "See you later!"

* * *

_"Not bad, are they trying to trick me?"_

Rhett stood in front of the first branch in the tunnel, having tracked down the cave they entered through after a reckless sprint through the Great Valley though from here on he wouldn't be able to rely on tracks in the ground anymore since the floor was all solid rock.

"Hmm, darn it, I really can't tell which branch they've gone," he admitted grudgingly - indeed Littlefoot, Ali and their insolent friends had found a good way to make it harder to track them down, quite annoyingly. His only chance was to go by sound but would they even be close enough to make out their chit-chat? He listened intently, holding his breath despite how hard he had been pushing himself for as long as possible but it was about as silent as it could be.

_"Or maybe I should wait until they come back? But what if there's another exit? Fuck this!"_ Slamming his tail against the wall, Rhett worked his brain for a solution but none seemed reliable.

_"Pah, guess I'll have to look for them everywhere in this damn dark cave..."_ Without hesitation, the boy sprinted into the right tunnel which was the one Littlefoot and his friends had taken.

_"This'd better be the right one!"_

* * *

Once they had walked a bit, Cera addressed the remaining group she was leading along the right tunnel which seemed more and more familiar to her the longer they walked.

"Say guys, don't you think there's something going on between those two longnecks?" When she was met with curious glances, she added. "I mean, they were acting kind of funny today weren't they?"

"What do you mean?" Ducky wondered.

"They not look like they have fight," Petrie mentioned.

"Much rather, they seemed to be happy together," Chomper pointed out though none of them had gotten Cera's message at all but Ruby who was pondering for a second before replying to the threehorn.

"They seem to like each other and they are not the same gender; are you thinking what I am thinking I am thinking?"

"Well I am thinking they're secretly having the hots for each other," Cera announced with a smirk. "Though of course Littlefoot would never admit such a thing."

"Well, would you admit that yourself?" Ruby inquired with a smirk of her own which momentarily shook the threehorn.

"O-of course! I mean... Maybe?"

"For some reason Petrie have trouble believing that," the flyer teased.

"Oh shut up you!" Cera barked, playfully putting her horns into display.

"Well, I think it would be a wonderful thing if they really had such feelings for each other, oh yep yep yep," Ducky giggled happily. "Spiky what do you think?"

The spiketail rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Spiky, it is a really pretty thing to like someone like that you know?" Ducky tried to convince him but Spike didn't seem to like the idea.

"Should we try to discover their secret then?" Cera questioned.

"Let's stick with observation perhaps," Ruby advised. "They might react badly if we were to call them out, react badly they might."

"Oh alright, alright," Cera gave in. _"But I will figure it out soon enough."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Littlefoot and Ali were having a conversation about the same thing.

"Say, do you really think we can hide it from the others?" Littlefoot spoke up as they climbed up the steeply ascending tunnel, walking with their heads lowered for how low the ceiling was.

"I don't know, Littlefoot," Ali replied honestly. "Cera seems to suspect something for sure..."

"Yeah, even though we didn't act any different from yesterday or did we?" Littlefoot puzzled. "Sure is a little annoying to deal with Cera when she's like this..."

"Hmm, yeah, a little," Ali admitted. "If they ask us about it, should we admit that we are together or deny it?"

"Hmm, that's a good question," Littlefoot said thoughtfully, almost hitting his head on a stalagmite hanging from the ceiling. "I mean wouldn't denying it just indicate the obvious?"

"Kind of, I guess..." Ali reckoned uncertainly. "Either way, I'd only be comfortable when we're alone like this."

"Hehe, yeah, same," Littlefoot chuckled as Ali made a weak attempt to get close to him while walking. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. For now let's stick to our plan."

"Fine by me," Ali confirmed before they continued on the ever tightening tunnel.

* * *

Rhett cursed audibly when another branch in the path appeared in front of his eyes.

_"Damn it! How am I supposed to know where they fucking are? If this is a game, it's worse than Hide and Seek!"_Nevertheless, Rhett attempted to calm his nerves and his raging breath in order to sharpen his eyes and hope to find a sign of their whereabouts through his sense of hearing.

_"No way, I hear something in both tunnels!"_ Had he actually got lucky earlier to pick the correct tunnel? Well, he was supposed to be a winner type so it had to be that luck was always on his side.

_"So this means they split up huh? Well, I would recognize Ali's sweet voice anywhere... It must be... To the left!"_

A vicious grin formed on Rhett's face. Now he would catch them and his scheme would finally move on to the next stage…

* * *

"Hey, look!" Cera suddenly called when a vaguely familiar hole appeared in front of them, too tight for most of them to pass.

"Spiky, this is where you got stuck last time, yep yep yep!" Ducky giggled much to the spiketail's annoyance.

"We find it, now we go back to tell others," Petrie exclaimed happily but Cera had a different idea.

"Actually, how about you go get them, Petrie?"

"You're much faster than us, yes you are," Ducky agreed, quickly grasping onto the threehorn's line of thinking.

"Yeah, and we need to make this hole here a little larger so Spike can fit through this time. Even I would get stuck now, damn this growth thingy..."

As the group snickered at her statement, Petrie stretched his wings.

"Okay, me go. Petrie be right back!"

As Petrie took off, Cera inspected the opening in the wall which lead to the cave they had been looking for.

_"I'm gonna ram this thing,"_ she thought, grimacing at the challenge but if one of them could do it, then it was Cera.

* * *

"Damn it, we picked the shorter stick," Littlefoot giggled as the tunnel got so narrow that not even Ducky would have fit through the remaining space.

"I guess the others got lucky then. Should we head back?" Ali asked.

"Yeah, we can't go on any further here. Let's go back," Littlefoot replied, making attempts to turn around.

**"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"**

* * *

**Cliffhanger... of course :P**

**This chapter is a bit slow. I wanted to catch the adventuring vibe and create a little adventure in this chapter. One could argue that it could have been skipped but...**

**... Rhett absolutely has to meet Littlefoot and Ali alone (or else he couldn't do what he's going to do in the next chapter) and I think this setting is a rather good choice. Besides, there were a few smaller things I wanted to do like the gang slowly noticing things about our two longnecks. The next two chapters will be intense, especially chapter 7.**

**The next upload will probably be in about two weeks when I get back from vacation.**

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hadiginga chapter 5 . Jun 12

"Look like Rhett don't understand the meaning of true liove great chapter"

**Yeah, you could say that haha. About time he's taught a lesson ^^ Thanks for the comment :D**

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Guest chapter 1 .Jun 12

"Can you do a love story for the older kiss like hye and the bullys and Guido."

**Wtf why? xD Well, nope, aside from this idea being uhh... well, weird, I have more than enough work with my current stories :P**

* * *

Anagnos chapter 5 . Jun 14

"Now that I have caught up with this story as well, time to make my thoughts known about this story. This story has a very slow start for me and I do hope that it will get more interesting later on.

Like Sovereign, I am not much of a Rhett fan and witnessing him acting like this certainly is a fresh experience. I don't exactly see Rhet as a villain but seeing this darker side of him has been quite intriguing so far. That comment though about Chomper eating Rhett was a fun one, so points for that.

While I don't necessarily care for romantic stories it is sometimes a good decision to expand what you read. I have noticed as well that the scenes in these chapters are not indeed that impactful, so there definitely is work to be done about that.

Judging by what is to come in the later parts and the eventual return to the Land of Mists, as the title suggests, will hopefully be interesting to witness when the time comes."

**Thanks for giving this story of mine a shot!**

**In the past, I've often rushed through the action to the point where the plot just doesn't link together nicely anymore. I've recently begun trying to connect the major moments in my stories better and change the pace every now and then. One chapter may be filled with action and conflict while others are slow and developing the characters, add some comedy or just connect two locations a bit. I kinda hate when characters teleport from one scene to the next. I rarely write a scene just for the heck of it, there's usually some thought behind it even if the conversations seem a bit random on first glance. Conversations are my strong point and sometimes when I just try to find a natural flow, it gets a bit longer than it needs to be but forcing the dialogue too much wouldn't be right either.**

**I'm glad that a slightly more idiotic and more antagonistic Rhett is intriguing to you! I mean, we kinda hate him, don't we? But isn't that exactly why this story has to exist? Rhett needs some more hate ^^**

**Personally, I'm not too crazy about romantic stories because, most of the time, the romance is the main focus and rockets from "hey, we just met" to "censored" quicker than Petrie can say "Me" :P Ali and Littlefoot already knew each other so it's still going a bit quicker here but I'm trying to keep their romance subtle. It's one of the main themes in this story but not THE main theme!**

**I hope you, too, will keep following the story :)**

* * *

Guest chapter 5 . Jun 15

"The burden of knowledge regarding these upcoming chapters is intense, I will try to at least provide my general thoughts on this chapter without spoiling anything for other readers. While I don't hold the tv series in high regard, this is probably the best possible way you could have incorporated it. It's nice to see Littlefoot and Ali enjoying themselves after everything that has happened with Rhett and putting Ali into a new setting in which we previously haven't seen her has a lot of potential for unique interactions. I like that the adults take a more active role here as opposed to the gang keeping this to themselves. It was smart of Ali to go to a mother about Rhett's stalking. Aside from the immediate benefit of her distracting him for the day, things escalate Rhett can no longer feign innocence considering Ali's mother's knowledge oh his past offenses against her daughter and Littlefoot.

I look forward to reading the next chapters when they're up. Hopefully there will soon be retribution for how Rhett has treated Ali."

**Oh, I know I'm a bit behind on uploading. Just takes so long to do sometimes... My apologies for that**

**I'm not going to comment on the rest as it is just as hard for me to avoid spoiling the contents of the next two chapters which are already done :P I should be caught up by the end of the month!**


	7. Chapter 6 - The challenge

**Chapter 6: The challenge**

Littlefoot stood rooted where he was, his heart beat doubling speed within seconds. That voice... It was so obviously Rhett but... How? How did he manage to find them so quickly? At this point, Littlefoot had reached his limit of how much of his crap he could take, a tremendous amount of anger rising up his chest. Rhett's voice sounded somewhat distant but the echoes of rapid footsteps that cut through the silence indicated that he couldn't be far away from their position. Evading was also impossible - the cave now becoming a dangerous dead end where Rhett had cornered them perfectly.

Suddenly, Ali was at his side, sending mute support. He knew that he had to defend Ali and their relationship here and now.

"I'll put an end to this," he mumbled quietly, trembling with rage. Ali touched his tail with hers firmly as a sign that she agreed wholeheartedly.

That was when the face of the beige-coloured longneck appeared behind the corner.

* * *

***crumble***

"Oof," Cera cried as the wall finally collapsed after repeatedly striking it with her hard head with some help from Spike using his tail to weaken the structure.

"Good job, Cera, Cera good job," Ruby said happily while Ducky coughed from the dust that suddenly filled the air.

"Let's clean this up and see if it's big enough already," Chomper suggested, grabbing some debris and carrying it away with his short arms.

"Might have to break away more at the top for the flatheads," Cera grunted dismissively as her head stung at the mention of yet another round of rock ramming. "But yeah, let's clean up the mess first."

* * *

Rhett had sworn to himself to act fierce and aggressive but right now he couldn't help but feel happy and victorious for managing to find the two longnecks (who were even separated from the rest which made things a lot smoother) against many odds - a true example of his superior ability and his blessed luck. When Littlefoot's angered face and Ali's beautiful features came into view, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

"Hahahahah, don't you realize that you can't run away from me? I am Rhett the Awesome, deal with it!" His face was as smug as it could possibly be and, with satisfaction, he noted that it made the two even more angry. _"As it should be, they deserve no less for defying me after all..."  
_  
"Ah, look what the bellydragger dragged in..." Littlefoot spoke coldly, pure hate radiating off him and same went for Ali.

"I can't believe how stupid you are, Rhett. Now you've done it," the girl spoke in disgust. She already knew what she was going to do once she got home this evening.

"Right back at you... Ali," Rhett sneered, his tone shifting. "Even though I explained to you with extreme care what'll happen if you disobey me, you did so, hanging out with that pussy here and gave me a very very long morning on top of that. You'll be sorry very soon."

Ali trembled with anger but it was Littlefoot who snapped first.

"Shut your foul mouth Rhett, nobody wants to hear your dumb voice!" he yelled, taking an aggressive stance.

"Whether or not you like my awesome voice doesn't concern me, loser," Rhett laughed coldly, clearly enjoying himself which made the other boy even more mad. "But enough of this talk, let's talk some business, Littleneck."

Littlefoot exchanged a quick glance with Ali. What was Rhett going to do now? If it was what he indicated the other night, then Littlefoot already knew how to respond…

"I gave you a choice but you didn't take the opportunity to avoid confrontation. You could have given Ali to me as I suggested and renounced your friendship but you had to defy me. Now you'll bear the consequences, both of you." Rhett spoke in an almost formal tone which sounded ridiculous to the two longnecks.

"You call THAT a choice you moron?" Ali blurted out. "There was never a choice to begin with!"

"Well observed, Ali." Rhett raised his eyebrows. "You've been mine all along and there's no changing that fact. But your dumb lover clearly hasn't realized this yet… how unfortunate that I have to crush him…" A cold laugh escaped the boy's mouth, dragging on for a long time. Littlefoot was struggling to refrain himself from charging at him.

"You lost your choice, Littlefoot; now you're going to do as I say; now I make the choices. Shall I tell you what options you have left?" Rhett sneered, walking up to the boy until they were face to face, staring into each other's eyes, Rhett's derogative, Littlefoot's full of anger and Rhett could feel Ali's penetrating stare too.

"Speak your nonsense and leave quick, Rhett," Littlefoot said in the most hateful tone he could muster.

"I will only leave once I have your reply," Rhett declared. "Unless... ," he chuckled. "Feel free to try and make me leave, I'm sure it'll be entertaining… hahahahaha!"

Littlefoot gritted his teeth but refrained from taking the invitation.

"Very well, as I thought…" Rhett cackled before his formal voice returned. "Due to your failure to comply to the terms I gave you, we shall take our dispute to the battlefield! According to the traditions, I, Rhett, hereby challenge you, Littlefoot, to fight for the right to decide upon Ali's future! I'm sure you are aware of the conditions?"

"_Crap, so he really is challenging me…"_ Littlefoot knew in this instant that he couldn't back out without losing his face not only in front of Ali but also in front of himself. He just couldn't forgive himself for letting Rhett do as he pleased and abandoning Ali in the process. He mustn't allow it! "_But I know nothing about these traditions, how can I be sure he isn't making things up as he pleases? And what if I decline?"_

"Don't worry, Littlefoot, I know the rules," Ali whispered, apparently reading the boy's troubles from his mind.

"Very reassuring," Littlefoot whispered back.

"It seems they don't practise the rightful traditions in these lands, how unfortunate…" Rhett teased with a sigh. "Let me break it down for ya, dumbface. Females are subjected to the male's selection and if there's competition, it's settled with a fight. The female must be witness to declare the winner formally. The fight is one on one, there aren't any rules. The fight is decided once one of us is unable to get up or if one of us surrenders. Now I ask you, Littlefoot. Will you accept my challenge or will you give me Ali without a fight? You must decide here and now!"

Littlefoot flinched. The conditions for the fight surely weren't in his favor. Even though he didn't practise these traditions, accepting the challenge would still force him to accept whatever result the battle between Rhett and him would bring. If Rhett was a resident of the Great Valley, he wouldn't have to worry about anything but since he was a member of Ali's herd and around Ali all the time while he was only with her temporarily, he could protect Ali for all eternity from Rhett if only he'd win the fight… Besides, why was Rhett so focussed on Ali? Littlefoot never really got the impression that Rhett even remotely liked her.

"Before I give my reply, I demand that you tell me why you want to have Ali!" he shouted at the beige-coloured longneck. "I never got the impression that you like her at all."

Now Ali took her eyes off Rhett to look at Littlefoot curiously. Ali couldn't doubt that Rhett liked her but it was distinctly different from the kind of love that Littlefoot expressed towards her.

"Ali belongs to me, that is all you need to know," Rhett sneered with an awful smile. "But if you really want to know, Ali is very attractive and pretty and she doesn't deserve a loser like you as a lover."

"But do you love her?" Littlefoot inquired angrily.

"I do," Rhett declared proudly but neither of the two believed him.

"You don't," Ali deadpanned.

"Yeah, you're a liar, Rhett," Littlefoot stated firmly. "All you want is to possess her, and you call that loving her? Give me a break, you creep."

Rhett's expression froze.

"Your reply?" he insisted.

_"Guess there's no helping it," _Littlefoot sighed. With a firm expression, he stared at his opponent.

"I'll accept your challenge, Rhett. When and where?" He glanced at Ali who nodded in mute support.

"So you actually got some backbone after all… very well," Rhett said with a triumphant look. "Tonight after the Bright Circle has set. We'll do it up on the wall where you two got lovey-dovey - for the first and only time. Ali, you know the rules; make sure this dumbass doesn't try to play any tricks. If he does… well, let's just say a traditional fight ends when the winner is clear. If he breaks the rules it won't end. Enjoy the rest of your day, it'll be your last." And with that, Rhett turned around and left without another word, leaving Littlefoot and Ali behind.

* * *

"_I did it, tonight Ali will be finally mine, MINE, and mine all alone!" _Rhett celebrated as he jogged back. The insolent flathead accepting the challenge wasn't the easiest way to gain Ali for himself but it would be the most rewarding and entertaining one. Ever since joining up with that herd after seeing Ali from afar, he hadn't had a chance to fight other longnecks and he honestly missed the feeling of stepping on other people's tails and kicking their butts until they grovelled on the ground begging for mercy. He would certainly make sure to drag out the fight and see to it that Littlefoot would suffer for his crimes. Yes, he was looking forward to that.

Suddenly, he heard something approaching fast, probably airbourne. Quickly deducing that it might be the insolent flyer Ali was friends with, he duck into a small cove to his right lest the flyer knew he had been there. Rhett needn't say it out loud since Ali was aware of the traditions. If any of Littlefoot's friends were to intervene, there would be hell to pay and the boy sincerely hoped that Ali had enough sense not to get those insolent friends of theirs involved for her own sake as well as theirs…

The flyer quickly swooshed by without taking notice of him. Pleased, Rhett snuck back out and continued his walk back to eat his fill, rest and prepare for the night. Even though he didn't consider Littlefoot a worthy opponent, one should never take things too lightly after all…

* * *

"Okay, at least he's gone…" Littlefoot muttered eventually before collapsing on the spot. Not only was he afraid of what was expecting him now but also did he now bear the responsibility for Ali's immediate future. Unless Ali somehow managed to get her mother to live in the Great Valley, there was really nothing he could do but win this fight with everything he got which, sadly, wasn't much safe for his wits.

"Littlefoot?" Ali was trembling a little too, looking at him in concern but a quick nod quickly reassured her that he was at least okay.

"Yes, Ali?" the boy responded weakly. Suddenly, he felt Ali's warm body right next to him as the girl nuzzled him. Feeling a little better, he leaned against her.

"Thank you so much…," the girl said with some unease. "See… y-you didn't have to do this, you know?"

"Seriously…" Littlefoot sighed. "Ali, I cannot stand back and watch as this son of a tarpit takes away the longneck I love. I… I'll find a way… somehow, yes, somehow I must win this fight… for our sake and even more so for your sake…"

"But there are ways to stop him that don't involve you two going at each other's throats…" the girl objected with slight worry but Littlefoot gave a cold laugh. "Right… Ali, I've never despised another dinosaur this much in my whole life… maybe safe for that sharptooth who took mother away. Not even when Cera insulted my mother back then and we broke into a vicious fight, I was this angry at someone. Ali, I'm no good at this but I'll kick his ass for what he's putting us all through and I'll find a way to trick him and if it means getting hurt in the process… That's a promise!"

Ali looked at the purple-grey longneck in utter surprise.

"Y-you don't have to go that far, Littlefoot… d-don't make me worry about you!" She cried, getting even closer to him. "Also… I also have a promise I want to make… No matter who wins this fight, I promise that I will be yours… The world will freeze over before I'll let Rhett have me!"

Littlefoot couldn't help but smile at this.

"Hey, let's go back to the others and pretend for now that this never happened. Rhett said he'll let us go until the fight so maybe we should really try to enjoy this day nevertheless?" he proposed. "We can still think of ideas along the way."

"Yeah, it probably isn't later than noon, that should give us some time to prepare ourselves," Ali agreed but just then they heard the unmistaken sound of wings flapping.

"Guuuuys, we find right cave!" Petrie yelled from afar as he approached the two longnecks. Littlefoot and Ali quickly broke free from each other but not before exchanging another quick nuzzle.

"Great, we only found a dead end!" Littlefoot yelled back. "Come on, Ali!"

* * *

A little later, the two longnecks stood in front of the entrance into the cave that supposedly had the Sky Color Stones hidden in it. Littlefoot had never seen it of course but the word of Cera, Ducky and Ruby was enough to make him a firm believer that those stones could be found in that place. A lot of rubble indicated that Cera had done some work to allow them all to pass through.

"Let's go in," Cera grinned, gesturing into the dark tunnel that opened in front of their eyes. "I'll be first to find a stone of course."

"We'll see about that!" Chomper retorted with a firm expression, excited like a little child to start with the search.

"Yep yep yep! Remember who found all the stones the last time," Ducky chirped in a rare smug moment.

"Yeah, and you lost them all," Cera deadpanned. "Come on, let's go!"

The group walked along the path (even Spike didn't get stuck in the hole Cera had rammed into the wall) which gradually widened while darkness gradually weakened. Soon, they entered a spacious cavern illuminated by a small ray of light coming from a window in the ceiling high above their heads. Further behind, the sounds of a waterfall and a river could be heard.

"Whoa," Chomper exclaimed. "And this is where you found them?!"

"Eeyup!" Cera stated with a grin.

"This place sure looks cool…" Littlefoot had to admit and Ali seemed to think likewise. Without another word, everyone split up to look for Sky Color Stones, however Ali remained rooted on the spot.

"Uhm… how exactly…" Ali stammered uncertainly. Ruby quickly halted in her movement.

"I think you don't know how to know when you see a Sky Color Stone." When Ali nodded, the fast runner continued. "Sky Color Stones look bland on the outside but pretty on the inside. Good luck searching!" Then, she raced after Chomper, who had already begun to burrow in a pile of rubble.

Ali looked at Littlefoot in confusion.

"I still don't know how to find them…" she said ineptly. Littlefoot laughed.

"Follow me, I'll show you."

The matter between Rhett and them was momentarily forgotten as Littlefoot and Ali searched the cavern for Sky Color Stones. After a good hour had passed, every search party had discovered at least one of them and Ali couldn't deny that they were really really pretty, a sight she would never forget. However, it was then when suddenly the voice of Ducky echoed through the cavern.

"Excuse me, could we all meet for a moment?"

As it turned out, Ducky just couldn't let go of the Sky Color Stones she had lost back then.

"I would like to try looking for the stones I losted-ed," the swimmer explained once everyone had gathered around her. "Spiky thinks there's a tunnel that leads down to the river."

"Let me guess, he smelled food or something?" Cera deadpanned. When Spike nodded, she rolled her eyes while hitting her head somewhat gently against the nearest wall. "Good grief…"

"Can't we just go down there directly?" Ali wondered.

"Nope, it's too steep," Chomper quickly explained.

"Yeah, Ducky would have turned to smithereens if we hadn't caught her back then…" Cera grunted. Ducky tried to look as innocent as she could. "Well, go ahead, I'm gonna keep looking up here," she declared, leaving the circle to pick up her search again (she had only found a single, very small stone yet).

"Me go with you, Ducky," Petrie declared, flapping over to where the swimmer was standing.

"Count us in too!" Chomper grinned as he dragged Ruby over to the group which naturally also included Spike.

Littlefoot was about to join them as well when Ali held him back.

"We'll keep looking up here too," she announced. "You go without us."

"Okay, see you later!" Ducky called. "And if you change your mind, you can just follow us, yes you can!"

Littlefoot could swear hearing Cera mutter something but right now he didn't care so much about the threehorn. Rather, why had Ali held him back?

"What's the big deal, Ali?" he questioned as soon as Cera was out of hearing range.

"Well, see, I figured this might be a good chance to exchange some ideas for… tonight." Uncertainly, she looked at the boy. "We can still go after them if you don't want to do it right now."

"No, no, that was good thinking there…" Littlefoot admitted as the harsh reality of the situation they were facing came back to him. "Well, what did you come up with then?"

"No matter how we look at this, we'll need some help if we want to win," Ali began. "See, you have no experience in fighting other longnecks so we need to find someone who could tell you a few tricks before you head into the fight. I don't know much about Rhett's past but I'm sure he fought with other kids frequently if he's so sure of himself."

"Well, he could be all talk but he seemed too sincere about this to be bluffing," Littlefoot pondered wildly. "I agree that some tricks might help me tonight though I doubt my grandpa would tell me even if he knew a few…"

"Well, we'll figure something out," Ali reassured. "Another thing, we… uhm, have to make sure that Rhett can't keep me away from you guys even if he wins. Do you have any idea how to achieve this?"

"That's a good question…" Littlefoot sighed. "We could probably prohibit Rhett from bothering you if you get your leader to restrict him after the fight though I don't believe that'll patch things up in the long run. He won't stop until he's achieved his goal and he'll do everything to get what he wants. That makes him extremely dangerous…"

"Yeah, you're right," Ali sighed. "If only he could just go away… like, forever!"

"Wait a second…" Suddenly, Littlefoot had a bright moment. A few pieces clicked together in the blink of an eye and Ali's wish would come true if it all went according to that sudden inspiration. "I've got a plan and it's good!"

* * *

"Spiky was right, there is some food here, hehehehe," Ducky giggled as the spiketail greedily devoured some odd herbs growing in a little side chamber with a little pond in it - rainwater falling through another window in the ceiling that was gathering and feeding some tough plants who were able to grow on solid rock - although now none were left.

"Aww, I didn't see any bugs yet," Chomper silently complained, massaging his stomach.

"What now?" Petrie wondered.

"Of course we keep following the tunnel!" Ducky exclaimed happily. "Even if it does not lead us to the water where the stones fell in last time, it is still a great adventure, yep yep yep!"

"Me no can argue with that," Petrie sniggered.

"Let's go my friends, my friends let's go," Ruby said in her sing-song and so the group continued along the tunnel which slowly descended as they walked on.

* * *

Ali gave Littlefoot a surprised look.

"A plan?"

"Yeah, I think I know how to get rid of Rhett!" the boy declared with determination although he wasn't sure yet whether he should be looking forward to the moment he played his role in that plan yet.

"Oh, how?!" Ali inquired. "Lock him up in this cavern?"

"That's not half bad either, haha, but we don't know if there's another exit somewhere," Littlefoot laughed. "Anyway, here goes."

Ali sat down in front of him, listening intently.

"First of all, this plan is a bit dangerous, I'm not sure if you'll approve of it and I don't know if it'll work but I think we've gotta try. It'll get Rhett into trouble for sure and that alone would be worth it I think…"

"Just say what it is then," Ali spoke a little impatiently.

"Remember what he said about following the rules? What if we deliberately break them? Rhett will be super mad and try to hurt me instead of just winning that damn fight. We could make it look like he assaulted me and we could get the gang to help us and stop him once he's gone far enough…"

"No, just no…" Ali shouted immediately. "I'm not letting you get hurt for my sake!"

Littlefoot gave her a sad smile.

"You know, if it means we can be together for the rest of your stay, I don't mind if I have to take a beating from that idiot. I'm not saying I'll go down without a fight either and we could even win if the others help us, just saying, though I personally don't think it's a likely scenario…"

"But what for? How is this going to get him expelled?!" Ali shouted in concern.

"Well, you see, my grandparents will be super pissed when they hear that I've been assaulted and injured by that idiot. They will demand Rhett to be punished for such an action and I'm sure other residents of the Valley are ready to jump in too. This will put Old One in a pinch and she'll have to expel him for besmearing the herd's reputation or something like that. Either way, it'll put Old One in a very awkward and embarrassing situation and, given how strict she appears to be, she'll definitely have to punish Rhett badly."

"... since he's just an orphan we took in out of mercy, it might be easy to throw him out… hey, I see where you're coming from now…" Ali exclaimed though she still couldn't quite agree to the plan. "Still.. for you to risk getting seriously hurt… it's too dangerous!"

"Rhett is too dangerous to be around you!" Littlefoot suddenly shouted, forgetting that Cera wasn't too far away either. "I can't protect you with strength, Ali, but I can protect you with my wit. We'll outwit him with this!"

Ali looked down, conflicted thoughts running berserk in her mind. She didn't want Littlefoot to get hurt because she loved him but she knew that not doing as he proposed might result in them not being able to express the love they shared any longer. The girl had to make up her mind soon. What was the bigger evil? What was right to do? How could she prevent this plan to become a necessary evil to defeat the devil chasing after her?

"Isn't there another way?" she finally begged with a pleading look in her eyes. Littlefoot looked at her sadly.

"Rhett won't listen to any rules and he won't be held back by punishments I reckon," the boy explained. "He's fixated on you and he's that type of dinosaur who's so deranged that they don't see reason anymore. You could say he's beyond help. He'll definitely continue to try and I'm afraid he'll even go as far as to hurt you in order to make you obedient to his will… Ali, it has to be done. Rhett needs to go… forever."

Ali exhaled in a deep, painful sigh. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't find any gaps in the boy's logic. Quickly blinking away the tears that were about to form in her eyes, she walked up to the dinosaur she loved and performed a neck hug, crossing each other's necks and then nuzzling each other in mutual support.

"Promise me that you'll try everything to win though and don't get hurt too bad, okay?" she said in a quiet whisper. "Knowing Rhett, he might not care if you die from an injury…"

"You know I won't let that happen," Littlefoot promised with a weak smile. "Once we'll tell the others, I'm sure they'll want to beat Rhett to a piece of raw meat. It'll be harder to hold them back and only disturb the fight and not join it. It doesn't concern them after all since this is something between Rhett and us - I want to be the one who fights since I'll be fighting for you. Because," Littlefoot released the longneck hug, interrupting his speech for a dramatic moment. "Because I love you from the deepest of my heart, Ali. Because you're mine and I am yours and because Rhett isn't part of that equation…"

Before Littlefoot knew what was happening, he felt a warm and wet sensation on his left cheek, followed by the most intimate head rub he had yet received from the girl. Ali, sheerly overwhelmed by his words, had licked his cheek and now his cheeks were burning hot as he began to blush. Nevertheless, he returned the gesture with a smile that washed all worries away in the blink of an eye. He still dreaded the confrontation and all the preparations that were necessary for his plan to become a success, however he knew that it was all so that he could enjoy moments like this with Ali whenever he wanted - maybe not in the near future but once they were old enough to decide on their own path for sure.

* * *

"_What are these flatheads doing?_" Cera wondered. After picking up a part of their conversation that distinctively sounded like an argument, the threehorn had decided to quit her rather fruitless search (why did she suck so much at finding these goddamn stones?!) and investigate a little. Just when the two longnecks came into sight, Cera could clearly see Ali licking Littlefoot in a clearly intimate manner before their heads touched in an unmistakably romantic fashion.

"_Urgh, this is disgusting, I'm outta here…"_ she frowned, quickly sneaking away before the two would notice her though she was looking forward to teasing them later, now knowing that her suspicions weren't unfounded after all.

* * *

"So… I guess we should tell the others about this when they're back…" Littlefoot eventually spoke after losing himself in the warmth of Ali's body for a while.

"About what?" Ali wondered, also feeling a little lost in their little moment together.

"Ah, well, about everything, I suppose," Littlefoot mentioned awkwardly. "We've gotta tell them about the situation with Rhett, about our plan and, well, I doubt we can explain this without giving away that we're in love with each other…"

"Oh…" Ali said thoughtfully. "Hmm… I guess it is another necessary evil to defeat Rhett."

"Precisely!" Littlefoot shouted. "Okay, then let's do it like this when they are back!"

Just then, he heard familiar voices coming from the bottom of the cave where Ducky and the others had intended to go.

"_Hmm, looks like they really found a way down there,"_ he mused, gesturing to Ali in order to follow him to the edge of the higher part of the cavern which was separated from the lower part by an almost vertical cliff of roughly 30-40 meters…

* * *

"Hey, we did it!" Petrie shouted against the characteristic sound of water rushing down a blank wall of rocks into a small pond that gave birth to a small river that lead who knows where.

"Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky exclaimed, sprinting ahead of the group into the open and, without hesitation, dived into the water with a squeal of joy.

"Wow, from down here the cliff looks even scarier, even scarier it looks," Ruby mused as her gaze checked the surrounding features. If Ducky had fallen from up there back then, surely she would have gotten more than a little hurt.

"Come on, Ruby, we still gotta beat Ducky," Chomper exclaimed, dragging Ruby away to look for more stones while Spike found a cozy spot to take a nap and Petrie flew up the cliff to verify just how high it was. Just then, he saw Littlefoot and Ali arrive at the edge.

"Oh, hello Littlefoot and Ali. You guys wanna come down too?" he wondered with a happy giggle."

"Maybe next time," Littlefoot said with a weak smile. "Ali and I are a little exhausted but could you relay a message to the others?"

"Sure, Petrie do what Petrie can!" the flyer exclaimed while flying a few loopings.

"Tell the others that we have something to announce and something to discuss when you guys are coming back up. But there's no need to hurry as long as we're back home before the Bright Circle leaves the sky."

"We'll watch from up here," Ali added. "We already found enough stones."

"Alright, Petrie see you later then, ehehehe!" he snickered before swooshing back down to perform more flight maneuvers which entertained the longnecks greatly.

About an hour later, a couple dozen of Sky Color Stones had been arranged in a little trough on the ground, some retrieved from underwater by Ducky and others gathered by Chomper and Ruby with aerial support of Petrie while Spike was snoring peacefully in a corner. Littlefoot and Ali sat close to each other, simply enjoying to watch their friends enjoy themselves while feeling each other's warmth as their bodies touched. Eventually, they seemed to be pleased with the amount of stones they had uncovered and recovered, waking up Spike who, grumpily, obeyed and began to head back through the tunnel they had used to get there in the first place.

"Should I ask Cera for advice on how to fight by the way?" Littlefoot spoke up just then as the thought crossed his mind. "I mean, she's much better at it than I am and I've usually lost when we took our disputes to the battlefield…"

"Yes, Cera is strong…" Ali said absentmindedly with a slightly amused smile. "I think you should ask her."

"Oh, I will," Littlefoot announced with determination.

"Okay, I'll just think about some ways to distract Rhett during the fight while Cera trains you."

"If she does," Littlefoot remarked. "Yeah, that's a good idea too. Well, I'll be off looking for her."

"See you later," Ali said with a smile.

* * *

It didn't take him long to find Cera who seemed to have given up on her search and who seemed to be in a slightly bad mood.

"Are you coming here to mock me?" she began though she quickly sauntered up. "Oh whatever, I suppose I'm just not made to find these bloody stones. Never mind that, okay?!"

"Yes, yes…" Littlefoot quickly reassured. "You're much better at breaking them than any of us after all."

"Indeed!" Cera beamed and, in an instant, she was back to her usual self.

"Cera, the others will be back here soon. Could I, uhh, you see, there's something you could help me with… although it may sound a bit odd to you out of the blue… but you're the best at what I need some advice on..."

"Oh?" Cera teased. "You're not asking about girl things now that you're… uhh, sorry, I kinda walked in on you two earlier…Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

"You mean it?!" Littlefoot was baffled. Was this really Cera he was talking to?

"D-don't get the wrong idea! I'll still make fun of you, count on it! It's just… if it means that Ali will be with us more often, it's a good thing in my opinion. She's my friend too after all."

"That's completely fine, make fun of me all you want since I know there's no ill will behind it, Cera," Littlefoot laughed and, reluctantly, the threehorn joined in. "Anyway, the thing I'm asking of you is not advice about girls though it has to do with Ali in a way… is it okay if I save the explanation for later when everyone's around?"

"Oh? Well, this sounds like it'll be interesting," Cera beamed. "Come at me, what do you want you insolent flathead?"

Littlefoot momentarily shot a glance at her for her playful insult before he uttered his request.

"Teach me how to fight…"

Cera laughed immediately.

"Hahaha, do you want to beat me up whenever I tease you about you and Ali now?"

"No, it's not that…" Littlefoot explained with some unease. "You see, there's someone I need to fight with soon… and I'm pretty sure they are stronger than me so I could really need some advice…"

"Oooh, don't tell me it's who I think it is…" Cera deadpanned and, not much to her surprise, the longneck nodded.

"Just let me do it," she beamed with high spirits. "He won't be able to move for a week when I'm done with him!"

"Cera, I don't doubt that but… this is something I will need to do on my own… for Ali's sake… and I guess I've got some pride too… sometimes at least…"

Cera looked at the longneck with an understanding grin.

"Now THAT'S something I can get behind," she declared. "Sure, I'll help you just this once."

And so, Cera gave him some general tips and tricks about fighting as well as telling him how to react best in common situations during a real fight. Obviously, not all of the things she told him could be applied to a fight between two longnecks but, generally, Littlefoot found them very useful and made sure to remember them and promise Cera to repay her some day for her great help.

Sooner than he liked, the others returned and Cera ended their training with a final word of advice.

"Never give up even if things are hopeless. Find an opening in the enemy's defense and break through with all your might!"

"Thank you, Cera," Littlefoot sighed in relief. Now he felt prepared for whatever Rhett might throw at him even if his body mightn't keep up with what he meant to do.

Ali joined with the rest as soon as she heard the happy chit-chat between her friends. When everyone was gathered in a circle around the two longnecks (Cera was in such a good mood in anticipation of the two lovers bursting the secret that it almost made her look scary), Littlefoot took the word.

"I'm sorry to annoy you with this after you've had so much fun but some things happened since Ali arrived here and we need to talk about a few things right now since it's kinda important," the boy began, a little nervous for he couldn't really tell for sure how his friends would react to the individual things he'd tell them about now. "There are three things. First, there's something about Rhett we can't withhold from you; second, we need your help with something related to Rhett and, third, we have an announcement to make. I… guess we should get that over with, shall we, Ali?" With a shy smile, Ali nodded, walking up a little closer to Littlefoot.

"Gee, I wonder what it is?" Cera said much louder than was necessary, wearing a mirthful smirk. The threehorn hadn't been lying when she warned him about her teasing, Littlefoot deduced quickly.

"We originally meant to hide this from you but, considering the circumstances which you'll hear about soon, I think you need to know and it'll be one less thing to worry about. Ali… would you… tell them?" Littlefoot said awkwardly but Ali didn't quite seem ready to blow the bomb either.

"If I were to guess…" Ruby spoke up with a puzzling expression on her face, Ducky catching on to her drift as she noticed how close the two longnecks were standing.

"Oh, I know, I do, I do!" she squirmed in excitement. With a big smile, she interrogated. "Say, do you like each other, heh? heeeehh?"

"I daresay it's a bit more than just "liking" each other…" Cera sneered. "Come on, say it, Littlefoot."

"Alright, alright! Shut up already," he laughed. "It's true, Ali and I, uhh, well, we kinda love each other…" Littlefoot could feel himself blushing again as he said these words, Ali, as if to underline his statement, nuzzling him playfully which he returned, naturally.

"Okay, I'm getting sick," Cera grunted but everyone else's faces brightened up upon hearing the announcement.

"Congratulations!" Ruby was the first one to speak up.

"I am so so happy for you, oh yes I am, I am!" Ducky cried in joy, grabbing Petrie by the hands and dancing around in celebration.

"Wow, that was fast," Chomper stuttered in utter surprise. "That's really cool though!"

"Me never think you be first of us to get girlfriend, Petrie so jealous!" the flyer declared in a playful pout once he had managed to free himself from the swimmer's grasp.

"Nobody would want to be your girlfriend, Petrie, you're just too weird," Cera blurted out, earning herself an angry stare.

"That not true!" Petrie barked. "You too big idiot to get boyfriend too!"

As the banter between the two carried on, everyone else turned their attention to Spike who appeared to be unsure of how to react.

"Spiky, what is the matter? Do you not understand?" Ducky wondered. "Littlefoot and Ali now like each other like old Topsy likes Tria and like Littlefoot's grandparents like each other, you know? Do you not think that is a good thing, huh?"

Spike looked from one longneck to the other, seemingly grossed out by the thought.

"Oh Spiky, sometimes it really does show that you are a little younger than the rest of us, oh yes it does, it does," Ducky giggled heartily at the spiketail's expense who gave her a slightly ungentle but playful push.

"What's so great about this btw?" Chomper wondered.

"Oh you know…" Ducky said with a slightly dreamy voice. "That moment when you see a handsome swimmer and they look at you and… ahhh…" While Ducky was spacing out, Cera had finished her squarrel with Petrie, ready to make another uncalled for comment.

"Can you guys be love-sick somewhere else?" Of course, nobody paid her any attention.

"Say, Ducky, if me be handsome swimmer, you be me girlfriend?" Petrie said, giggling.

"Hmm… maybe? I do not know what you would look like as a swimmer, oh no no no," Ducky explained.

"You'd be as ugly as always," Cera deadpanned. Petrie was about to counter but Littlefoot found his voice again before the banter could turn into an actual fight.

"Guys, let's not be too harsh on one another, okay?" he proposed which ultimately broke down the banter. "I totally needed that though, now it's much easier to talk about the… not so pretty stuff…"

"Rhett." Ali spit out as everyone turned their attention to the longnecks entirely.

"Yep, Rhett." Littlefoot's expression hardened. "You didn't realize it but he's been stalking us all day and even though we made sure that he had errands to run until noon today, he managed to find Ali and me earlier while we were separated from you guys to pester us."

"And worst of it all, he ruined our, well, you get the idea…" Ali added sadly.

"So you two went off somewhere and he followed you and observed you two being lovers or what?" Cera deadpanned, not even trying to use this opportunity for another tease.

"That sums it up," Littlefoot sighed. "He's obviously after Ali and now that we're… you know, he's super mad."

"What a retarded piece of shit…" Cera growled. "This is so maddening, I wanna ram him right down this cliff here, right now!"

"Understandably…" Ducky said with unusual blandness in her voice. "I am so sorry that he is bothering you two, yes I am, I am…"

"Uh-huh!" Spike ranted, looking no less threatening than Cera with his developing spikes.

"He so mean me wanna be mean to him too!" Petrie cried, puffing his chest.

"He needs to learn a lesson for sure, a lesson he needs to learn!" Ruby grunted.

"Uhh, I hate to say this, guys but… I'm kinda hungry," Chomper spoke up awkwardly.

"Eat him for all I care," Cera spat. "This is the last time I'll let that son of a tarpit harm any of my friends!"

"Well, this makes the next step a lot easier…" Littlefoot sighed. "I'll definitely need your help tonight."

"We will," Ali added, standing firmly next to the purple-grey longneck.

"Tell us what to do and we'll do it…" Cera growled. "Right?" A murmur went through their ranks, even kindhearted Ducky feeling a rather unfamiliar surge of anger rise within her chest.

"Rhett challenged me to a fight earlier after demanding twice that I stay away from Ali," Littlefoot explained. "The fight will be to determine who will be allowed to be Ali's lover - at least according to some rather old-fashioned longneck traditions he believes in."

"Rhett doesn't love me, he just wants to possess me and order me around, and obviously none of us are planning to go along with his terms," Ali continued.

"Did you agree to that fight?" Cera demanded. "And what if you decline? Aside from being a coward, I mean?"

"Well, I suppose he would have dragged Ali out of the cavern right away, using force if need be," Littlefoot reckoned darkly. "Ali and I have had quite a few difficult conversations since yesterday thanks to Rhett. He's putting us through quite some hell and I want to prevent this from ever happening again. That's why I accepted… and that's why I need you guys… because I can't win alone…"

"So you want us to fight with you after all?" Cera deadpanned. "That's not what you told me earlier!"

"No, no, you're getting the wrong idea!" Ali quickly amended. "Rhett demands a fair fight, one on one, however he's in many ways tougher than Littlefoot so he's likely to beat him up left and right…"

"We don't even know if Rhett'll play fair at all," Littlefoot grunted. "He said there wouldn't be any rules other than it being between the two of us so he could just do anything, really. I've come up with a plan that'll either help me win and stuff that insolent idiot's foul mouth forever or, if I lose, it'll hopefully get him expelled from Ali's herd…"

"How's that supposed to work?" Chomper shrugged. "I bet he's still a coward who runs from a little biter like me - although I've grown a bit since then! Let's just show him not to mess with us!"

"I wouldn't mind that plan," Cera sighed.

"It's gotta be me, sorry," Littlefoot declared with an apologizing expression. "This is between us longnecks and you have no idea how much shit I've had to endure from Rhett until now. Cera's teasing is a blessing compared to his nonsense. I will definitely fight him on my own and I don't want any of you to get hurt for my sake. However, there's something you can do for me - for us. I'll explain the plan to you…"

And so, Littlefoot layed out to them what he had already discussed with Ali in utmost detail, not surprised in the slightest when he got mixed reactions about it.

"Oh no no no, you mustn't do that!" Ducky cried in horror as the image of a bloodied version of her friend appeared in front of her inner eye while Spike urgently shook his head.

"Yeah, why you want to get hurt? Petrie no understand!"

"In a sharptooth battle, you wouldn't survive that," Chomper remarked uneasily. "I'm not sure if it's a good plan…"

"...what Chomper said," Ruby repeated. "Although this is no sharptooth battle because no sharptooth will be fighting."

"I was against it too at first, believe me," Ali exclaimed in an attempt to sway the opinions within the group but their expressions remained wary and full of concern. "Cera, what do you think?"

"I'm... trying to make up my mind whether I should encourage him or not," the threehorn said, her thoughts clearly conflicted. "I mean… I never thought Littlefoot had guts like that. He clearly wants to fight for your sake Ali so you must be very important to him… I suppose. I'm not really getting how that's gonna get Rhett banned from here though…"

"Well, what'd your father do if someone beat you up?" The rhetoric question was hardly necessary as everybody knew that Mr. Threehorn would go around rioting until the culprit was found and dealt with." No one is likely to believe Rhett; if we say he assaulted me, that'd make our folks very mad and concerned. They'd blame Ali's herd and their leader will be made responsible."

"As a result, Rhett might get punished or even banished from the herd which would save me from his idiocy for all eternity…" Ali finished the thought. "I'm not sure if I can convince my mother to live in the Great Valley so if we don't do something about Rhett in the long run, nothing is achieved. If Littlefoot wins, it'd be ideal but since we plan to have you guys intervene and distract Rhett, I doubt he'll consider the loss rightful and will probably threaten all of us as a result. It's the best option we have and, as much as I hate to allow Littlefoot to do it, we have a lot to win and I think we should do all we can to support him."

"I get what you're saying, Ali, but how does this relate to whether you live here or not? Rhett might just say "fuck this, I'll just stay here too" and we're stuck with him anyway!" Cera stomped her foot. "Can't he just fuck off? Or can't we just get the grown-ups to chase him out or something?"

"It'd be easy if he weren't a member of Ali's herd," Littlefoot sighed. "However, since he is, the Valley has little influence on him. That's why we want him to fuck up big time by hurting me and causing a riot in the Valley that way. It's gotta get him into trouble!"

"It'd better…" Cera growled. "Well, I'm not gonna stop you if you're reckless enough to let him beat you up but you'd better put up a good fight first, is that clear?!"

"If it means I can scare him again, I might just agree to this…" Chomper sighed. "But still, that's pretty crazy, Littlefoot…"

"But what if plan not work?" Petrie objected.

"Yes, what if Rhett does not get banished-ed from the herd, yes what if then?" Ducky inquired with great worry.

"Then we'll move to plan B and gang up on him," Cera growled angrily.

"I'm sure it'll work, Rhett even said he'd get rough with me if I tried to trick him - which we'll definitely do. As long as you guys stop him once he's done enough damage, I should be fine. I'd rather be hurt than having to put up with that idiot any longer…"

"Same goes for me," Ali declared firmly. "He makes me sick."

"I guess we'll help you then because helping is what friends do," Ruby said at last and with this, even Ducky and Spike eventually gave in their resistance, though reluctantly, and agreed to help their undisputed leader in his quest to get rid of Rhett.

"Great, now we need a plan…" Littlefoot announced with slightly higher spirits.

"I thought you had a plan already?" Cera deadpanned.

"Yeah, I mean, a detailed plan for how to distract and annoy Rhett as we fight," Littlefoot amended his statement.

"About that, I've thought about it," Ali said with a firm voice. "See, I suddenly remembered what you guys did during the many times you ran into sharpteeth on your adventures and…"

"Way too many times in fact…" Cera deadpanned. "But hey, that's not bad at all. I totally wanna trip that moron with a vine just like we did with Chomper's parents once!"

"That wasn't nice at all, you know?" Chomper said while sulking a little.

"You go give him the scare of his lifetime, Spike and I will take care of the vines," Cera decided, Spike nodding in approvement.

"Petrie, Ducky, you could hide in the trees and throw stuff at him when he's passing underneath," Ali suggested which met the approval of the two smaller dinosaurs immediately.

"Oh yes, Rhett shall fear Petrie from the skies! Hahaha!" Petrie laughed in an attempt to sound vicious and evil.

"I will help you, Petrie, yes I will," Ducky announced, her fists clenched.

"I'll gather some snapping shells when I have dinner later, snapping shells I'll collect," Ruby announced, a scheming look on her face. "A snapping shell to the face has got to hurt!"

"I could go fetch a hive of buzzy stingers but those sure are noisy…" Chomper sighed as he mentally scrapped his idea in the making.

"Hmm… maybe we could use them just this once, Chomper," Littlefoot said with another great idea on the verge of being completed. "What if we prepare a trap? The earth up where the fight will take place is rather soft and muddy after the frequent Sky Water recently."

"Brilliant!" Ruby exclaimed in great excitement. "We will dig a hole but Rhett won't know that it is a hole until he knows but once he knows he'll be stung by buzzy stingers!"

"Amazing…" Cera simply stated while picturing the scene in her head, a grin soon flashing across her face. "Yea, we totally gotta do that. Littlefoot might be better off not jumping on Rhett until he gets back out though."

"Yeah, I might just be stung myself," Littlefoot laughed. "Honestly guys, this is amazing! Just playing this prank on him will be worth it!"

"Agreed," Chomper said while practising his toothiest grin.

"Yep, yep, yep, buzzy stingers are very very ouch-y so Rhett will surely like them, oh yep yep yep," Ducky giggled.

"You know you sound kinda creepy when you get like that, Ducky," Ali laughed. "See, it's just so totally not you."

"Rhett is a meanie though!" Ducky explained firmly. "I may not like to fight unlike Cera but I do not like bullies like him, oh no no no!"

"Just goes to show how bad of an influence he is even on Ducky…" the threehorn joked with a sigh. "Ali, what are you gonna do by the way?"

"Me?" the girl sighed. "Well, see, I… I'm supposed to sit back and watch the carnage unfold between them until one of them wins… it'd be too obvious for me to try to do something…"

Littlefoot suddenly looked at her with a weak smile.

"Just cheering on me every now and then would be great," he said while poking her nose gently. "It'll piss off Rhett as well."

"True… I think it goes without saying that while you guys will all be nearby, none of you must show yourselves to Rhett lest you give him a chance to attack you in the worst case. Therefore, Ali, you should be cheering on me on behalf of everyone."

As Ali looked into the circle around her, everyone was nodding and giving her encouraging glances and gestures.

"I will cheer for all of us!" she shouted loudly, her voice echoing through the cavern for half an eternity before it finally shut down.

"Well, I think, unless there are more ideas, we're done discussing here," Littlefoot spoke up once Ali's echo had died down at last. "It should be a little bit past afternoon now, I reckon. Let's head back, tell our folks that we'll be home late and meet up at the lookout into the Mysterious Beyond."

"Which one?" Cera wondered. "There's two I can remember, one that faces towards the Land of Mists and one that overlooks the big crater where the falling rocks fell long ago."

"It's the one facing towards the Land of Mists," Littlefoot answered quickly. "You see, Ali's herd lives nearby and I thought I'd show Ali at night how marvelous it is during that time of the day."

"And that's where Rhett spied on us while we were… enjoying ourselves while gazing at the blinky lights… we even saw a travelling light and made a wish!" Ali added.

"You know, Littlefoot, you're actually half decent at this," Cera commented drily while raising her eyebrow. "It's no surprise Ali fell for you…"

"Haha, well, it was my idea in the first place but Littlefoot suggested the location since I don't know the Valley very well," Ali laughed.

"Yeah, gee thanks Cera," Littlefoot laughed. "Anyway, let's go. We don't know how long it's gonna take us to prepare everything and of course we've gotta make sure that Rhett doesn't arrive while we're running preparations…"

"Leave that to Petrie, me spy on Rhett, not other way around, and let you know when he head towards place!" the flyer offered.

"Alright, let's do that!" Littlefoot agreed.

"Thanks," Ali said with a smile which momentarily made the flyer blush.

"And don't mess up, will ya?" Cera barked.

"Yes, yes, this be too important for Petrie to mess up!" the flyer retorted before everyone started moving out of the cavern of Sky Color Stones, back towards the outside world, completely oblivious to the outcome of the confrontation between Rhett and Littlefoot. Who would be victorious, who would be crushed by the other? Would their efforts be enough to sway the favor of the battle or would it bear consequences for them which they couldn't even begin to fathom?

* * *

**Oh boy, a lotta stuff to talk about in this chapter! It's quite above my usual chapter length after all Knowing you guys you'll analyze this pretty accurately so I'll skip that part in my author's note this time ^^**

**I wanna say a few things about this chapter regardless. Those who are interested in trivia might be astonished that this was written in one big session a few months ago. I've just read through this chapter again to get back into the story and boy something really rare happened. I read my own stuff and actually thought "Dang, this is actually good!" I rarely get those vibes from my own writing, especially considering the stakes some people are setting with their outstanding work! I must have been really inspired when I wrote this because seldom have I managed to write such natural and fun dialogues I think. Feel free to disagree, it's what I'm feeling when putting myself into the position of the reader here :)**

**I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter in particular detail since there's a LOT to talk about (really curious what you think of the developments, given that there is plenty of room to argue about the decisions everyone has made here :P ) and I'll try to respond as soon as I can! **

**The next chapter is 13k words and I might upload it as soon as next week! Let me just say that things are getting really intense really soon :DD**

**(also, before I forget to mention this, this story has actually been on hiatus for a fair while now and still is. I just wrote ahead back then. I'm currently doing the same for Shorty's Dark Past with mixed success. Turns out I'm still writer's blocked on the same parts that caused me issues in the first draft)**

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**ah yes, there was something else... oh right... Reviews!**

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Anagnos chapter 6 . Jul 8

While this chapter was pretty short and didn't bring much new information, it's still fun to see that this story still goes on. Too many times I have seen that the authors reject their creations and do not publish them. Granted, I myself have done this a couple of times, so I can't exactly whine about now can I?

And Rhett likes to continue to be a stalker of the lowest with him continuously harassing Ali and Littlefoot. It is a little amusing to see how this whole situation eventually comes to its conclusion or will it ever end?

Right now, I don't have anything else on my mind about this chapter that I could speak about, so we'll just let the future speak for itself when new chapters are eventually released. If things really will get heated soon, I hope that will be the turning point of this story that transforms it into something even more interesting.

**Yes, this story is still going on (albeit a bit too slow, yes, I know _) and will not be discarded at all, given how much fun it is to write whenever I can dedicate myself to it! SDP is giving me a really hard time at the moment but this was never a challenge but rather super fun and entertaining to develop and write!**

**Rest assured it will end. _When the story is finished ^^_ But seriously, the next chapter (7) and its aftermath should give you a good idea where this story is headed to. Turning point? Quite so! Stay tuned!**

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The Rhombus chapter 6 . Jul 9

My apologies for not getting to reviewing the previous chapter. I have been quite busy as of late and it appears that I missed the notification for the previous installment. That being said, I hope that you will forgive me if I give a general review of the previous two chapters here.

Rhett is certainly a piece of work here. Not only do we have an unhealthy fixation of Ali's happiness and an obsessive desire to monopolize her attentions, but we also have a lack of a self-image apart from the object of his affections. Such a mindset can only lead to tragedy or misery, and we are seeing this here. Though I am curious how he went from the lessons learned (presumably feigned in this narrative) from his first meeting with the gang to the situation he is in now mentally. Ultimately, both in terms of friendship and romance, he is on the outside looking in and his ignoble attempts to intimidate the others only keeps him stuck on the outside.

The interactions between the gang was handled quite well, as is the dialogue and interactions between our two protagonists. I do look forward to the gang figuring out a bit more about how Ali and Littlefoot are acting around one another. I am sure that will add an interesting angle to this tangled web that is being weaved.

**Your slacking off shall be forgiven lol. If reviews were written on an "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" mentality, I'd not really get any from you atm xD**

**I don't believe Rhett ever truly learned a lesson in that episode he was introduced. He seems like the type of character who might be smart enough to pretend for a greater goal. In the case of the episode, his goal might have been to keep an eye on Ali, thus admitting his faults in order to be admitted to play with Ali's friends if just to prevent Ali from getting too close to them and too distant from him. This is just my theory though and you are free to disagree :D**

**The gang have now figured out what's going on between our lovenecks but to carry on your metaphor, the web is about to snap ^^**

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Guest chapter 6 . Jul 14

This took a lot longer to get around to reviewing than I originally anticipated but I finally have an opportunity.

As always your Littlefoot and Ali scenes are adorable but beyond that I enjoyed seeing the deferential in how the characters responded to Cera's suspicion. Cera has most likely known ever since the events of Journey Through the Mists given how bad Littlefoot is at hiding his feelings. For example how after meeting Ali, he played with her all day before remembering the others. On the other hand there's Ruby who, while she seems to see their connection suggestions further observation before reaching a conclusion. I like how this demonstrates how well the members of the gang know him based on previous experiences. Or lack there of in Ruby's case given her rather recent addition to the group.

Rhett's obsession is highly concerning here and it makes me all the more glad that Ali informed her mother in the previous chapter. Here it's clear that Rhett has no regard for authority beyond how it will impact him personally. Taking this into account, I'm very worried for not only Littlefoot's safety going forward but also Ali's as well since, while Littlefoot is his primary target, he could easily lash out at either one of them for not giving him what he wants.

Eagerly awaiting the next chapters. A lot happens and there will be plenty to discuss.

**That's a very interesting analysis you've done on the first paragraph there. As always you think about my writing in ways I don't really consider and yet it always seems to fit in well with the canon narrative of the franchise somehow :O Knowing you ship Littlefoot and Ali just as much as I do, I'm particularly happy to hear that their scenes were adorable in your opinion! :)**

**Indeed, Littlefoot isn't the only one at a high risk at the moment, given that Ali's behavior towards Rhett doesn't please him at all (and that's clearly an understatement ^^). A lot happens in the next chapter indeed!**

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Story ideas chapter 6 . Aug 30

I am so following this story, hope you update soon

**Hi, happy to hear you're enjoying this tale so far. I'm generally slow and inconsistent but I try to make up with quality whenever I do. Life is just generally busy and writing more than one story at a time just isn't a good idea LOL. Updates may be slow but the story will reach its conclusion one day, I'm enjoying it a lot after all! :)**


	8. Chapter 7 - Littlefoot vs Rhett

**CAUTION: Significant violence and bad language in this chapter.**

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**Chapter 7:** **Rhett vs. Littlefoot**

A slight breeze touched his skin. Rhett looked into the evening sky, where he could see it peeking through the trees left and right of him at least. Some harmless clouds were floating gently across, seeming to be as if they had no burdens to carry at all. It was unusually quiet too where he decided to take a nap earlier after having a large pile of treestars for lunch. In many ways, it was like the calm before the storm came rushing in with its full brutality. It summed up Rhett's situation perfectly and, while he didn't mind the calm atmosphere around him, he only truly lived once the storm would arrive. He was fairly certain that he was built to prosper under its harsh conditions yet a grain of doubt remained. Would the storm play along with his rules or would it do as it pleased, stabbing him in the back when he was expecting it the least?

"_All nonsense, I'll win no matter what he tries to pull on me…"_ Honestly speaking, Rhett was all in favor of him breaking the rules just so he could look at Ali's horrified expression when he'd repeatedly kick the pathetic boy she'd chosen in his bloody, unrecognizable face… Yes, surely it'd come down to that and even if Littlefoot played this game fairly, Rhett just knew how to torture him and Ali likewise while entertaining himself to the fullest…

As he was indulged in his fantasies and theories about beating up his opponent, and small figure took a seat on a tree above him with watchful eyes.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes from sunset when Littlefoot and Ali met up at the girl's nest. Ali had reported the events of the day to her mother already who clearly seemed to be in a foul mood when Littlefoot came charging in, sprinting all the way to her nest after his grandparents had kept him back for a while to have dinner with them - which was something he had been planning to do all along as he'd skipped lunch and needed the strength later but yet it seemed like time was running twice as fast due to his constant nervosity. There were many things that could go wrong after all.

"Hey Ali, shall we go?" he panted once he came to a standstill in front of the girl he loved.

"Sure," Ali replied and without further notice, the two jogged away to make their way up the steep walls of the Valley.

"What'd your mother say, Ali?" he eventually interrogated once the forest the herd resided in was out of hearing range.

"Well, I didn't tell her of the actual plan we have of course but she'd have preferred if you just let the grown-ups handle things with Rhett instead of fighting him…"

"Well, if it lead to any tangible results, I wouldn't mind going that route myself but that's all but wishful thinking now. We're as prepared as we could be… we've just gotta hope that things play out in our favor in the end," Littlefoot said, slightly out of breath due to the demanding ascend.

"Yeah…" Ali sighed.

Much to their delight, Rhett wasn't present when they arrived but Cera was already digging a sizable hole just between a group of trees with great dedication under the instruction of Ruby who had placed as many snapping shells as she could carry in a pile next to her.

"Let me help you!" Ali called but Ruby quickly shrugged her off.

"If you're dirty with mud, Rhett is going to be wondering why you're dirty with dirt so don't help us or you'll get dirty, okay?"

Ali supposed that there was no fault with the fastrunner's reasoning so she halted in her movement and began aiding Littlefoot in walking around the area to look for possible ways to exploit their surroundings and, as soon as Ducky and Spike arrived around sunset, she helped the swimmer to stock up on berries that contained a sticky, gooey juice and those tree sweets which had a tremendously hard shell. Just when dusk began to roll in, the sound of pesky insects indicated that Chomper had managed to find some buzzy stingers after all. Throwing as many leaves and grass as they could onto the trap, they somehow managed to avoid getting stung by the insects (largely because Chomper ate most of those that had escaped) and hide the trap so well that even Littlefoot had to double check before he realized where it was, memorizing its position well to exploit it during battle. Cera and Spike had prepared a strong and thick vine between a group of trees with lots of bushes to hide in while Ruby had added a few smaller rocks and pebbles to her arsenal, hiding it all behind a large boulder from where she had a good overview of the designated battlefield, and she even managed to retrieve a few anti-bleeding leaves just in case they'd be needed. Chomper, meanwhile, had chosen a hollow log which was so old and hollow in fact that the wood would break as soon as he rammed his thick skull through the ceiling, hopefully creating a surprise for Rhett he surely wouldn't like…

As the last light of the day vanished, Petrie finally arrived with the news that Rhett would arrive soon. Everyone wished Littlefoot the best before they took their positions, well hidden in the dark of the quickly spreading night. Rhett would regret choosing the nighttime very soon, Littlefoot noted while grimacing. Ali stood next to him in a supportive manner as they dreadfully waited for Rhett to arrive. There was no going back now and, slowly, Littlefoot began to wonder what had bitten him when he agreed to his own plan but now he had no choice but to stick with it and show more courage than he actually felt in his heart…

"Remember how much you hate him," Ali whispered quietly into his ear when she noticed the mental state her love was caught in. "Don't worry for a second, only focus on how much you hate him. It'll make you stronger if you think like that, see?"

"R-right, you're right," Littlefoot said, taking a deep breath and seeking support in Ali's neck which calmed him down enough to be able to focus on what was important. "Right… we'll show this insolent idiot!"

"Much better," Ali smiled, snuggling up to the boy. Whispering, she added. "I'll give you something very special once this is over, okay?" And with these words, she licked across his cheek again. It was just in time as the sounds of distant, quickly approaching footsteps reached their ears just then as the Night Circle began to rise on the horizon.

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Rhett could only smile as he saw the two longnecks appear in front of his eyes when the designated battlefield slowly came into view. There had been a small chance that Littlefoot wouldn't have the courage to face him after all, ruining all his anticipation in the process but, thankfully, it hadn't come to that. Littlefoot was standing in front of him, his eyes and his posture radiating off hate and determination to win. The boy was grateful to be greeted in such a manner, given that it'd make this fight worthwhile and memorable at least to a certain degree. It sure wouldn't be boring if that pathetic idiot gave his all to stop him, even if it'd turn out to be an effort wasted in the end for there simply wasn't any chance he'd actually lose to such a wimp; or was there? No, he was simply too awesome and skilled to lose to a rookie in battle whose determination to achieve his goals was simply too weak and his body too frail to keep up with his ambitions.

Yes, he, Rhett, would win this struggle for Ali's sake as well as his own.

"Nice guts, Littlefoot, Ali. You really came here after all…" he sneered once they were face to face, confidence radiating off him while Ali was clearly displaying fear and Littlefoot looked as if he couldn't wait for their fight to commence. "I suppose there's no need for further words, is there?"

"We've talked plenty," Littlefoot said through gritted teeth.

"That's right!" Rhett exclaimed with a laugh. "Let's settle this with the power of our muscles until one shall grovel before the other!"

"Let's do this!" Littlefoot shouted, trembling as he felt his rage, fueled by his feelings for Ali, seep through his whole body, embedding every muscle with much needed strength.

"Ali, step aside and give the signal," Rhett ordered. "Once you do, I'll prove to you how worthy I truly am of being the one to walk at your side!"

"Tsk," Littlefoot snorted.

"There is nothing left to prove but the depth of your idiocy," Ali said coldly, stepping back and coming to a halt in the small opening that lead to the ledge where she'd spent the previous night with Littlefoot stargazing. Funny how fast things could change. Inhaling, she exclaimed.

"May the better longneck win. Start!"

* * *

One last time, Littlefoot saught eye-contact with his enemy, Rhett, who was clearly looking down on him in entertainment, yet he could tell that he didn't take this lightly either.

"_Rhett, I see you're prepared but are you prepared to learn the difference between strength fueled by love and your strength originating from your desire and greed? Well, I'm going to show you with everything I've got that Ali doesn't belong anywhere near you!"_

Gritting his teeth, Littlefoot reinforced his footing, ready to charge.

* * *

"_I wonder how long he can keep up a fight?"_ Rhett wondered as he mustered his opponent in a disparaging manner. Naturally, for the sake of his own entertainment as well as to break the insolent flathead's will, he didn't plan to secure his victory in a swift manner. Rather, he would make sure the boy would walk through hell before he'd unleash his full power and destroy him utterly lest he becomes an obstacle ever again. Not only him but Ali too; he'd have to break her resistance as well and there was no better way than to demonstrate the difference in strength in the most imposing, most impressive and least destructive manner; that was until Littlefoot would break.

* * *

Littlefoot's gaze wandered over to Ali as the girl overlooked the two combatants. Their eyes met for a brief second before Ali finally gave the signal with a pained expression.

"_I mustn't waste any time; gotta start strong to stop Rhett from taking the lead!_"

Without hesitation and in spite of his lack of actual experience, Littlefoot rammed his feet into the ground to gain speed. He wouldn't hold back against Rhett, disregarding everything for the sake of getting back at the boy who tried to separate him from Ali even if it was a futile attempt. Knowing though that he had an ace up his sleeve, he could charge in recklessly without having to worry about the consequences of the fight.

"I'll make you pay for what you've done to us!" the purple-gray longneck cried as he entered a mad sprint, aiming to crash right into his opponent but Rhett only laughed and jumped out of the way just in time.

"Charging at me blindly without thinking, are we?" he teased as Littlefoot aimed for the next tree, planning to use it as a tool to change direction abruptly and preserve most of his momentum. "Such foolish actions will surely lead to my victory!" With those words, he entered a sprint himself, accelerating much faster than Littlefoot ever could. By the time he jumped at the tree, Rhett was already right behind him and, before he could fling his body back towards Rhett, Littlefoot felt pain erupt in his flank as the beige-coloured longneck thrust his knees right into him, smacking him against the tree and pinning him there.

"You're so weak that it's agonizing!" he laughed with a mad expression. "At least show me what you've got before I'll utterly crush you, fool!"

"_Crap, this backfired badly!" _Littlefoot panicked as he tried not to lose himself in his rage and keep his thinking rational. It was one of the things Cera had taught him, although he could tell from experience that the threehorn had never been one to practise this during their many square-offs in the past. Right now, what he needed the most was to struggle free and Rhett had given him just the push he needed to get his rage under control and turn it into controlled, calculated strength rather than blind anger that'd lead him astray.

"_Watch this, asshole."_

Suddenly, Littlefoot used his tail in one swift movement to slap Rhett's feet who lost his footing in surprise. Littlefoot quickly regained his own footing now that he wasn't being pushed against the rough bark of a tree anymore and, before Rhett could recover, he charged. Upon the impact, Rhett fell and tumbled over. Carried by his own motion, he too lost his footing as he stumbled over the boy clumsily, ending up on top.

"Eat dirt!" he yelled before launching an array of kicks with his forelegs, Rhett only being able to dodge a few of them as he struggled to push his opponent off him.

"Show him!" Ali yelled from the distance as she observed the fight take place, unable to do anything but observe and support Littlefoot with everything she got.

"_Don't worry, Ali, I will!"_ Littlefoot thought as he landed yet another punch though Rhett was moving his neck in quick succession to avoid most of the impacts while wearing a distorted expression. Clearly, he hadn't expected to be put in a pinch so soon and it made him mad.

***crash***

In the blink of an eye, Littlefoot's head exploded with pain as Rhett landed a well executed headbutt out of nowhere, stunning Littlefoot which gave him enough time to free himself. With a demonstration of his strength, he threw the other longneck off him where he landed in the dirt ungently.

"Nice try, Littleneck. I'll take control of this fight from now on!" And before Littlefoot could recover, Rhett was upon him, issuing kicks all over his body in quick succession but refraining from pinning him again. Littlefoot frowned and winded to avoid the worst, waiting for a chance to strike back and regain his footing. Rhett's kicks surely hurt but it didn't take him long to realize.

"_He's toying with me; he's not even trying to hurt me or trying to win for that matter…" _Seemingly, as he began to use his legs to block the incoming kicks only to get his face slapped by Rhett's tail in return, Rhett wasn't trying to end this fight quickly which left only one possible conclusion.

"_He wants to wear me out and trample me only once I'm tired and beat. Also, he wants to humiliate me but he's not achieving anything with this! No, he's just making me more angry and stronger… yes, let him do this for now while I prepare my next move!"_

* * *

"_What the hell is he even doing…"_ Cera felt like headbutting the nearest tree but that would surely expose her presence on this battlefield. Hadn't she taught Littlefoot how to fight well? Right now, it seemed like Rhett had gotten the upper hand and way too easily and quickly too. Littlefoot was already stuck on the ground for more than two minutes now, constantly taking the beige-coloured longneck's assaults with only crude and half-hearted defense. Just what was the stupid flathead thinking?!

* * *

"As expected, Rhett is really stronger than him…" Ali muttered as she continued to monitor the fight which was surprisingly boring and one-sided now and much less ferocious than she'd expected. Littlefoot didn't put up much of a fight at this point despite his claims to take all measures in order to win against Rhett, risking injury in the process but, right now, none of that was showing.

"Littlefoot, don't give up!" she yelled in an attempt to wake him up but Ali didn't realize yet that she had greatly underestimated the boy she loved…

"_Just how much longer is he going to keep this up?"_

* * *

Several minutes had passed and, while the number of bruises was slowly growing, Littlefoot didn't feel affected in his agility at all, merely preserving his own strength until Rhett would get careless or impatient. That would be when he'd use the opening to launch a merciless assault, however Rhett didn't seem to be ready to change his pattern at all, still wearing that smug expression he wanted to wipe from his face so desperately...

"_If I wait for an eternity, he'll still have the advantage after all even if I play along with his little game. Therefore, I should take matters into my own hands and create that opening myself!"_ With great resolve, Littlefoot prepared his words carefully.

* * *

"_Geez, to think he'd just let me punch him like that… did he see through me?"_ Rhett frowned as he repeatedly struck the boy with his tail though without the intent to cause injury. Yet. Humiliation was his primary goal for now, however, that insolent flathead endured it without a complaint, without much resistance whatsoever safe for self-defense. Had he already broken him? No, he could tell that he was trembling with rage, his eyes lit up with a fire that made him a little worried.

"_If he's not showing the true extent of his strength, then perhaps I should just crush him right now?"_ However, that was when Littlefoot raised his voice.

* * *

"Did anyone ever tell you that you fight like a girl, Rhett?" Littlefoot announced with a bold voice, noting with pleasure that Rhett froze a little. "How do you want to defeat me without the resolve to win? Fight me seriously, you weakling!"

"Shut up!" Rhett froze, anger disturbing his controlled and calm mind as Littlefoot, for the first time ever, switched roles with him. How dare he tease the great Rhett? He'd regret ever taking such a step immediately!

"Very well, let's stop this game of pretend and fight serio…"

***smack***

In a swift and powerful movement his dad once taught him, Littlefoot rammed his leg skywards right into Rhett's face, who staggered from the ferocity of the attack. Not giving the boy any time to recover, Littlefoot landed a quick succession of tail whips, driving Rhett towards the nearby rock wall.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Rhett screamed, attempting to charge but Littlefoot felt a power unlike anything he'd ever felt through him as he began to take the upper hand, ramming Rhett repeatedly to drive him back until he finally managed to push him against the rock wall. Now, Rhett had nowhere to go.

"Insolent dumbass!" Rhett raged but Littlefoot held control for now.

"You're the ass around here, Rhett!" he barked, his emotions boiling up. "I'll show you!"

"OH YEAH?" Rhett screamed, desperately kicking his legs in order to struggle free.

"It's pointless now, I won't let go until you acknowledge Ali and me! Surrender or feel the pain you've inflicted on us!"

"Pah! You're one to talk, Littleneck! Soon, I'll reduce you to a bloody piece of meat!"

"I wanna see you try, asshole!" As he said this, Littlefoot landed a fierce headbutt only for Rhett to return the favor just as ferociously. It was a battle of wills and insults.

"You little dumbfuck, I'LL CRUSH YOU!" Rhett cried while wrestling with Littlefoot who didn't give in.

"You're all talk, you can't even break free, weakling!"

Rhett froze again which earned him another painful headbutt, followed by a powerful kick to the stomach which made him wince.

"SHUT UP!"

"_Guess I hit a nerve,"_ Littlefoot noted with satisfaction, landing more hits on Rhett who seemed to by more focussed on keeping his face in their verbal exchange for now.

"Oh, did that hurt?" he asked, releasing the pin while Rhett was stunned from another powerful kick and switching into full assault on the boy who had caused him and Ali so much pain. He could hear Ali cheering for him loudly, Rhett flinching and wincing as he punished him for his offenses.

"FEEL OUR PAIN, RHETT!" he cried as he worked himself into blind rage, striking without aim, simply trying to cause as much damage as he could to Rhett who merely shielded his face from the array of attacks hailing down onto him.

"ALI. CHOSE. ME!" Littlefoot scolded, underlining each word with a tailwhip so powerful that it threw Rhett completely to the ground, panting in exertion but not willing to stop before he'd get enough retribution for his insolence.

"YOU UGLY BASTAAAAAARRRRRD!" Rhett cried in pain as he tried to get back to his feet after those heavy blows. "YOU'RE A DISGRACE OF A LONGNECK! SOMEONE LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO MATE WITH FEMALES AT ALL!"

"SAYS THE ONE NOT EVEN RESPECTING FEMALES!" Littlefoot shot back.

"THAT'S PRECISELY WHY YOU'RE SUCH A D…" but Littlefoot charged so fiercely into Rhett, pinning him once more against the wall that he couldn't finish his insult.

"Give up or I'll hurt you!" Littlefoot threatened, even pinning Rhett's head to the wall but that was, to everyone's surprise, when a wicked smile appeared on the boy's face.

"Give up? Hahaha, good joke. I think it's about time I stopped toying with you indeed… " Without hesitations, Rhett increased his strength twofold and easily freed himself from his opponent who fell on his back in utter surprise.

_"Shit, he's getting serious now!" _Littlefoot cursed, immediately realizing that he was in big trouble now. It simply had been too easy thus far to keep up with the more muscular and experienced longneck. It went without having to raise the thought that he'd have to give his everything from now on lest his resistance died down prematurely but already Rhett's first serious counterattack was so ferocious and well aimed that he was losing a little faith in his chances to win this fight without the help of his friends. He hardly had enough time to react when he saw the attack coming, failing to protect his well exposed chest. Immediately when Rhett's fierce kick hit, every ounce of air was being knocked out of his system and the boy collapsed with a pained sigh awfully akin to suffocating sounds.

"This is the true difference of strength between you and me, you bloody piece of shit!" Rhett proclaimed triumphantly as he stepped on Littlefoot's stomach but the boy didn't make the same mistake again. Before Littlefoot could recover, Rhett initiated his next attack, using his muscular tail to whip a little sense into Littlefoot's exposed flank, strike upon strike smashing into the purple-grey longneck who tried to take the beating without crying out in pain. Giving Rhett that kind of satisfaction just wouldn't do but he had to admit, quite grudgingly so, that he was completely unable to do anything against this series of attacks no matter how hard he tried to get back up, much to Rhett's pleasure.

"I'll crush you now, loser!" he announced in a voice mimicking a hatchling, making painfully sure not to launch any attacks that would lead to serious injury and incapacitate the insolent flathead but strong and fierce enough to keep him from getting to his feet and cause him maximal pain - well, that was for now; of course he did intend to hurt him eventually. He deserved no less than that in his book.

Littlefoot continued to tank a lot of damage from Rhett, kicks to his stomach and powerful slaps from Rhett's tail hailing upon him ever so violently. It took him a lot of willpower to remain silent and to stop himself from crying out in pain. In addition to that, Ali's constant pleas for him to rise and right back physically hurt somewhere deep in his chest, fueling up his rage slowly but certainly. In spite of this surge of power and aggression, he couldn't manage to break free and if this trend continued, he might have to rely on his friends much earlier than he wanted to; before he could beat the heck out of Rhett until he was tired of doing so at least. Right now, however, Rhett was making painfully sure to fight him awfully close to where Ali was standing, preventing Littlefoot from escaping and forcing Ali to watch her love getting beat up in all glorious detail. The positions where his friends hid, waiting to take action and interfere with this battle upon his signal, were far away from the rock wall in the bushes and trees. Though he'd prefer to put up a bit more of a fight before he'd have to resort to use them. Slowly, his anger rose to a very high level again as his whole body ached from the bruises all over his body, caused by Rhett's unrelentless attacks. Ali's desperate screams were beginning to make him turn a blind spot to his pain and the damage he was receiving. He didn't want her to feel terrible like this so he made a resolve.

"_Enough, I must fight back no matter what! I mustn't let Ali watch this until I'm too weak to respond… Rhett, that bastard… I'm not done with you yet…"_

Littlefoot was gathering all of his strength, watching Rhett's attack pattern observantly until a brief opening popped up.

"_Now! Take this!"_ He was timing his counterattack perfectly as Rhett took a quick sneer at Ali who glared back so fiercely that one would think she'd jump at Rhett any second now, hating the beige-coloured longneck at least as much as Littlefoot did at the moment. He shot forward like a spear from his ducked position, ramming into Rhett's legs which gave in due to the unexpected pressure but he reacted quickly, stopping Littlefoot with a headbutt, frowning.

"So you can still fight, amateur?"

Littlefoot didn't answer but put all his strength into holding his ground against Rhett who was attempting to push him against the wall again. Slowly but surely, he felt his power drained from him as he had to use all of his strength just to keep Rhett where he was. Judging from Rhett's frown slowly turning into mild amusement, it was clear that he was testing the limits of his strength once more and Littlefoot had fallen right into his trap.

"How much longer do you want to get your ass kicked, loser? Isn't it about time you surrendered to me?" Rhett bragged, slowly beginning to increase the pressure. Littlefoot was able to withhold but for how much longer? Certainly, though, he hadn't lost his spirit yet.

"Sounds like someone is afraid of losing!" he blurted out between ragged breaths. "If you don't finish this soon, I might just win, Rhett!"

"Tsk, ridiculous!" Rhett laughed. "Don't you realize how retarded you sound? But good… luck…. trying!" Without warning, Rhett pushed with all his might. Littlefoot didn't have any reserve strength to call and felt himself being pushed away like a heavy boulder, somersaulting when he hit the ground again. It was a perfect, intimidating demonstration of the brute strength Rhett possessed but clearly hadn't used yet. But why though, Littlefoot wondered? By now, he should have gotten just about enough humiliation out of him who had largely been on the receiving end and Ali, who was watching the scene unfold in clear shock, even forgetting to cheer him on. As he scrambled back to his feet, half expecting to be rammed in the guts before he got a chance to do so, he realized with surprise that Rhett didn't charge in but circled him with a vicious expression.

"I can see on your face that you're scared, Littleneck!" he called with a victorious expression. Littlefoot couldn't deny that he was impressed by the toss, however he'd never admit that in such a situation.

"Want me to back out again, Rhett? I'm not thinking about it!" he answered in a loud yell. "I won't back out until one of us is unable to fight! Keep this up and the Bright Circle will be back before we're done!"

"Fine by me!" Rhett declared with a shrug. "But tell me, rockhead, most opponents I fought gave up quickly when they realized they were weak! But you keep on rising even though you already look like a bunch of Sharpteeth played a game of Toss the Seed using you!" Littlefoot reckoned that this description mightn't be too far from reality but what was Rhett aiming at?

"Is Ali really that important to you?! Is it not clear that you'll never succeed here? Don't you get it that she's MINE?! Just fuck off, will you?"

Littlefoot stared at Rhett, wondering whether to be offended or amused about this turn of events while constantly keeping watch in case Rhett tried to charge again.

"Of course she's that important to me; isn't this why you called this fight in the first place, idiot?! I could ask you the same thing, you know? You must be extremely dense if you think Ali will accept you, ever!"

"That's right!" Ali declared proudly from her position at the edge of the battlefield.

"See? Will you finally give up, Rhett? You're walking on a path to nowhere! You're a senseless idiot with no friends who pretends to be super amazing and all when you're just a poor dumbwit with a hang for violence and a very poor understanding of the thing you desire! It's not Ali you desire; you don't even care about her and you would beat her up too if it'd make her obedient, wouldn't you?"

"Loser, you're the dumb witted individual around here!" Rhett argued promptly, spitting in Ali's direction for her intervention. "I AM amazing, you're pathetic. Understand that before we can talk on the same level."

"Whahaha, who believes that anyway?" Littlefoot taunted in a short-lived fit of laughter which made Rhett's facade darken. "Would you hurt her for the sake of making her what you say? Answer me, you irredeemable douchebag!"

"Of course I would! Ali doesn't know what's good for her! She's been spoiled ever since meeting you and I shall lead her away from your underwhelming existence with my awesomeness! If it means applying force, I will apply force to achieve that goal!"

Littlefoot felt his body twitch and before he knew it, he had charged blindly at Rhett who swiftly outmaneuvered him with a cackling grin on his face.

"Pathetic…" he described the forceful but uncoordinated and badly planned assault. Littlefoot scuffed and resumed the mutual circling and preying game once more.

"You don't understand ANYthing, Rhett! Is this what you call love!? Answer me, son of a tar pit!"

"Right back at you, offspring of a bunch of retards…" he sneered, taking notice of Littlefoot stiffening up at this particular insult. "Love, isn't it?" he laughed in disgust. "My idiotic friend, I believe you need to be taught a lesson about the meaning of that word. Love… it's the greatest weapon to keep the Circle of Life running. It only serves one purpose - to generate worthless offspring the likes of you. It's just a tool to make females fart out some eggs to keep our kind, most fabulous of them all, from perishing. That's really all there is. Don't tell me you didn't know this? Haha, some wimps you got for parents if they haven't taught you that…"

Littlefoot's body twitched once more but this time he managed just barely to hold back his energy.

"_One more time, Rhett, and I'll personally throw you from that ledge over there…"_ he thought, shaking with wrath. It was a good thing that Rhett wasn't aware of what he was digging into with these low insults because he didn't bring any more of them.

Meanwhile, Ali stood rooted at the spot with her mouth agape in shock. It wasn't like she hadn't known Rhett's mindset at all but hearing those words out of his mouth made something break inside of her.

"You're... " Littlefoot growled, slowly brewing his anger until he found the right mixture. "YOU'RE UNWORTHY OF EVER GETTING INVOLVED WITH EGGS! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU EVEN THINKING?! I DO NOT EVER WANT YOU NEAR ALI EVER AGAIN!"

"I second that!" Ali yelled, finding her voice again.

"SHADDDDUUUUUUPPP! Rhett screamed.

"I might as well do," Littlefoot growled, uncontained wrath turning into calculated, controlled power waiting to be propelled at the target of interest. "...for you're so far beyond help that you couldn't possibly understand what love truly means! Scum like you will never be loved!"

"Either way, you look like you still wanna go at it?" Rhett raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I won't hold back anymore. You better had some ace up your sleeve or your head will be a lot flatter than it is already!"

"Answer me one last question!" Littlefoot demanded, almost screaming. "WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES YOU TARGET ALI? There are many longneck girls out there; can't you just bother someone else?!"

"I could ask you the same thing, stupid boy, but I guess our answer would be the same, wouldn't it? I've seen many longneck girls, unlike you, and Ali is by far the most pretty and attractive girl I've ever seen. Awesome parents should account to outstanding offspring but I guess as someone who is unfortunate to be blessed with underwhelming features in every regard, you wouldn't understand this anyway? Well, whatever. I don't care about your reasons. I only have mine and they're superior to your lowly ones…" Rhett offered a taunting grin, almost inviting Littlefoot to charge again.

"We'll see about that now…" Littlefoot hissed, coming to a halt and fortifying his footing in preparation for an attack which came almost immediately. Knowing he couldn't stop Rhett in full charge, he decided to evade but Rhett was quick to turn and ended up running into him though the power of his charge had been lost. Once again, their battle was stalling in a pushing contest. Littlefoot, feeling enough anger rise inside him to take on a fully grown sharptooth at the moment, was able to keep up for a little while despite Rhett operating at full strength now.

"Go, Littlefoot, make him pay for this!" Ali cheered from the sidelines and Littlefoot felt even more power rush into his muscles. For just a brief moment, he made Rhett step back but then his body ceased to keep up with what his mind wanted to accomplish. His advance quickly halted and he soon found himself fighting on the retreat.

"Is this all you can do, eh?" Rhett barked. "You're so weak that it physically hurts knowing scum like you even exists!"

Littlefoot tried to block out the penetrating voice and focussed entirely on fighting but it was impossible to ignore this amount of foul language directed at him in its entirety.

"Even a goddamn hornface is still worth more than you and hornfaces truly are the worst!"

Littlefoot could swear that the bush Cera was hiding in had just jerked but the threehorn was showing better self control in that situation than he was.

"SHUT UP!" he cried, just in that moment finding a little rock to use to fortify his footing and hold his ground against Rhett while mobilizing some extra strength from deep within. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer but at least he wanted to launch one last and powerful attack to inflict some damage and get a earn a mental victory over Rhett before his stamina would completely collapse and his great scheme would come into play at last. Defeating Rhett on his own was impossible and he knew that now with utmost certainty. Even with his friends' help, it seemed like an impossible task now but Littlefoot was prepared to go down in glory. Panting, he tried to resist but in spite of having a rock as an additional stabilizing element, Rhett's sheer charge unbalanced him so much that he had to give up the position which proved to be a fatal mistake. Before he knew it, he felt his ribcage ache as Rhett rammed him against the nearby rockwall using his whole body, the particularly hard and painful knees connecting exactly with the base of his neck, stealing every bit of breath, making him choke for air while yelping in terrible pain. This attack had been on a whole different level, well aimed and executed in such a speed that it was impossible to prevent the damage.

"Aww, did that hurt?" Rhett spoke up with a smirk, rejoicing in LIttlefoot's suffering before resuming the speech. "This fight is over for you now…" Fiercely, Littlefoot felt a leg crash into his face, stunning him - the time of teasing and toying around was definitely over now, Rhett had been telling the truth for once. With a murderous expression, he took a few steps back and charged at Littlefoot who had sunken into a heap of misery while trying not to suffocate, body screaming after oxygene while his brain was on overdrive from the extreme pain sensation. Now he was fighting not to destroy Rhett but to prevent Rhett from destroying him before he could set off the traps his friends had prepared.

It was a battle for survival. Rhett didn't grant him a single break, using his hard shoulders and knees to bruise up his flanks and legs while making sure he never got to breathe properly. Quickly, a significant amount of his skin was either sore or covered by small cuts and the underlying flesh was swelling up to form ugly, blackish-blue bruises. Rhett still didn't inflict any truly horrifying wounds on him but, even like this, Littlefoot knew that he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer if the beating didn't stop anytime soon. He'd long since given up on trying to endure it quietly, crying out with every punch, every kick, every bang when Rhett's tail clapped against various parts of his body. Just when he was seriously beginning to ponder about admitting defeat just to stop this hell, Ali stopped crying and insulting Rhett frequently and resolved to aid her lover with a cunning maneuver, hoping Rhett wouldn't realize what she was up to.

"Let him go, bastard!" she screamed, tears flying in all directions as she shook her head wildly in barely contained rage. It was just one of many insults she'd been throwing at Rhett within the last few minutes but this time it'd be different.

"You've won, okay?! He can't get up, isn't that the goddamn rule for this stupid tradition?!" This was a question Rhett could hardly ignore. Ali was merely hoping that Rhett would take the bait and that Littlefoot still had enough strength left to get back up and lead Rhett towards the fortified area of the battlefield where his friends were still patiently waiting, hearing him cry in pain and seeing him suffer in the most cruel fashion.

"Only after he's out cold or if he surrenders!" Rhett screeched angrily, turning his attention to the completely beat up boy again. "Yo, you have enough, retard? Want some more of... THIS?!" With tremendous force, Rhett smacked Littlefoot's face which he had mostly spared thus far, immediately drawing blood as it came trickling from his left nostril. Pleased with the outcome he displayed a wicked grin. "Serves him right."

"STOP IT!" Ali demanded, realizing that her plan might have failed though, to her utter surprise, Rhett turned his back to Littlefoot and walked a few steps towards her. With a threatening swing of his tail which barely missed the girl, he hissed.

"Watch out, Ali. You've heard me earlier; once I win this, I can and I will do with you want I want! Learn to respect me or suffer until you finally get the picture and abide by my w…"

***snap***

Littlefoot winced from his countless bruises, every part of his body burning as if bathing in hot water for too long, but Ali's distraction was too good to let it pass unexploited. With tremendous effort, he heaved himself up and bit down on Rhett's tail until the taste of blood other than that trickling from his nose filled his mouth. Quickly, he let go as his opponent drew back his tail while crying out in pain and outrage and took the opportunity to kick Rhett precisely into his butt, followed immediately by a well aimed punch into the backside of his left knee with tremendous success. Rhett collapsed like a tree in a storm, unable to use that leg for a few moments (thankfully, Cera had taught him about weak spots like that). Suddenly, Rhett lay before him, paralyzed and almost helpless. Littlefoot knew no hesitation; without mercy he penetrated every inch of Rhett's back he could reach with his front legs until Rhett finally managed to get up and slap him across the face with his tail, causing his right nostril to start bleeding too. Quickly, he retreated a few body lengths. This was just the kind of mental victory he had been looking for; it needed no genius to tell that Rhett's ego had taken a bad hit, the surprise sitting so deep that he hadn't even been able to spew out insults like usual for the duration of his brief beating. However, as soon as he stood firmly on all four legs, his rage couldn't be greater and same could be said about this mouth.

"ASSHOLE, I'LL MAKE YOU RETCH YOUR OWN BLOOD FOR THIS!" the beige-coloured boy screamed while shooting a murderous side glance at Ali. The girl could prepare for some serious punishment once he was done here, that much was certain… However, he hadn't made that plan in sync with Littlefoot.

"Big words for someone who can't even protect his own butt hole!" Littlefoot taunted, sticking out his tongue in an almost childish manner in spite of the huge pain he was feeling everywhere. "Guess you're too big an asshole to protect it all, Rhett!"

"SCREEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW YOUUUUUUU!" Rhett thundered, echoing through the whole Great Valley, seemingly which gave his words a whole new quality. "I'LL STUFF THAT MOUTH OF YOURS!"

"In that case, you'll have to catch me first!" Littlefoot announced boldly, waving his tail while Rhett's was leaking quite a bit of blood (Chomper would be proud of that bite, he reckoned), before entering a slow sprint (running at full speed wasn't possible thanks to his bruises). Slowly, he felt the pain wear off just barely, however he was absolutely unable to run away from Rhett even if he sincerely attempted it. His physical condition already was too bad, his stamina almost gone and his body damaged while Rhett had hardly lost much in either category with higher stats to begin with. It was a hopeless case but that was where his friends came into play. Casting a glance into the general direction of where most of them were lying in wait to participate in this battle, Littlefoot confirmed that they were all ready. Taking a deep breath while running, he exhaled the codeword they had previously agreed on to commence the planned attacks on Rhett.

"Travelling Light!"

* * *

"The codeword!" Ducky hissed, grabbing a fruit with a very hard shell while Petrie next to her prepared to throw berries full of stink juice from the skies. Watching the fight between the two longnecks had been extremely painful, especially for pacifist Ducky, so they were glad that they'd finally be able to support their friend at last and, hopefully, sway the odds a bit in Littlefoot's favor…

* * *

"_Finally, I'm about to go crazy!"_

Cera sighed with great relief as the signal rang through the cool night air at last. Being on standby while one's friend was being abused as a living punching bag wasn't a pleasant experience, particularly for a belligerent threehorn like her, but her mood was improving quite significantly as she pictured Rhett falling for the numerous obstacles they had planted, including Spike's and her vine. Nodding to the spiketail, they grabbed both ends of the vine, ready to pull whenever Littlefoot would lead Rhett their way…

"_I hope you'll enjoy this, Rhett…"_

* * *

_"Come here, Rhett, I'll definitely scare you to the bones..."_ Chomper gritted his teeth as he practiced his scariest face. He could only hear (and smell) from his position hidden in a log and he was in a way grateful for he doubted that he could stay calm and wait while Littlefoot was beaten senseless. Of course he didn't know for sure how bad the situation for his best friend truly was, however the sounds carrying over from the battlefield and Ali's desperate cries gave him a pretty good idea of Littlefoot's condition. He could only muse as to why the longneck hadn't used them sooner but he guessed that he had truly tried his best to defeat Rhett on his own first. Either way, he hoped to get at least some entertainment out of the situation and repay Rhett a small favor for ruining their days...

* * *

Ruby smacked her fingers in anticipation of their coordinated indirect attack. It were moments like this when her predatory nature took over her line of thinking. Although her friends weren't always aware of it, a fastrunnner like her was quite capable of killing and right now she really wouldn't mind lashing out at the insolent longneck who had hurt her friends so much. In the end though, Ruby was just barely composed enough to stay on standby, a snapping shell firmly seated in her hand, ready to throw anytime, hoping to land a few good impacts with those shells as hard as rock. Surely a direct hit to the head would be painful, she reckoned.

_"Littlefoot, lead him towards me so I can teach him a lesson, a lesson I want to teach!"_ Ruby begged, however her friend chose to lead Rhett into the range of Ducky's tree base... Ruby didn't mind too much as the trap they had dug was definitely in her range and surely Littlefoot wouldn't forget to lead Rhett right into the buzzy stinger hell... "

* * *

Rhett shot up a glance towards the night sky, there weren't any travelling lights dancing across the sky after all. Littlefoot had already distanced himself a fair bit in the meantime. Angry, Rhett whirled around to where Ali was standing, only to be met by her devious smile. He had been had again!

"SCREW YOU!" he exhaled before resuming his chase, sprinting after Littlefoot at full speed and quickly gaining ground again.

* * *

Littlefoot noted with pleasure that Rhett had bought Ali's distraction wholeheartedly and, apparently, he had also chosen a very fortunate code word. He definitely owed Ali a thanks for not only buying himself some more time but also, as an additional reward for the two of them working together, they had effectively ticked Rhett off which was working into their plan as well. As Littlefoot could contest from his experiences so far, his own attacks gained a lot of spice from his wrath, however they lost coordination and wit quickly when he worked himself into a rage. If Rhett was furious and heated, surely he would focus on him, try to hurt him and not pay much attention to his surroundings. Thus, or so he hoped, he wouldn't see the traps and attacks coming and every single one would just make him more and more furious. Despite knowing that he was walking on the edge of a smoking mountain at great unrest, he was looking forward to see the spectacle unfold. Soon, he met eyes with Ducky and Petrie as he ran towards the tree they were sitting in, nodding to them. Immediately, Petrie took off and soon a bunch of berries came raining from the night sky, the flyer blending in exceptionally with the darkness, only visible as a diffuse shadow to confuse Rhett. Smacking sounds confirmed that the berries were hitting the intended target, bursting open and revealing their not-so-desirable contents…

"EWW, WHAT THE FUCK!?" came Rhett's enraged cry, slowing down as the berries burst open everywhere on his body, engulfing his nose with a painfully biting stench impossible to ignore and lots of yuck sticking to his body. Due to his now reduced speed, Ducky had an easier time aiming her throw, the first fruit meeting its target, crashing into Rhett's lower neck, causing the longneck to stagger and gasp in shock and mild pain as the object came raining down from above. Though, unable to tell where exactly the attacks were coming from, he screamed.

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME!?"

Ali was already laughing loudly which enraged Rhett even further, suspecting that the girl and her stupid lover were behind this. Furious, he charged again but Ducky hit his hindleg with her next fruit, making him stagger in pain once more. Curious, Littlefoot turned around to see how well things were working so far. Through his intense pain, a satisfied grin made a short appearance on his face. At this rate, he mused, he mightn't even have to run very fast to keep ahead of Rhett if his friends continued to keep him from picking up pace. Certainly, the distraction was working well.

"YOU SET SOMETHING UP, ASSHOLE!" Rhett wailed as a third fruit barely missed his head, Ducky refining her aim with every fruit she tossed at the longneck. "THIS WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES!" Just then, he charged into another shower of berries, some of the sticky juice now covering his nostrils, the stench causing physical pain as his sense of smell was coming under extreme torture.

"SCREW YOU, SCREW YOU, SCREEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW Y…"

***WHAM***

The forth fruit, finally, was a full success. Rhett's repeated standstill had allowed the swimmer to aim perfectly, the hard-shell fruit smashing into Rhett's forehead with a resounding crack as it burst open while the boy stumbled across his own feet and crashed into a tree head-first, groaning. Littlefoot stopped his sprint to see if he could exploit this but Rhett's blood was boiling to such an extent that any pain was merely a mild annoyance he hardly felt. Within a few seconds, he had regained his senses and came back to his feet with murderous intent.

"WAIT 'TILL I CATCH YOU, SON OF A FUCKING TAR PIT!" he cried, sprinting through one last shower of Petrie's stink-juice berries, ignoring it entirely since his sense of smell was now out cold from the overload, and ignoring another few fruits repelling from his body at various places, running into the dense parts of the forest where Littlefoot had already disappeared. Constantly taking turns and running in circles, Littlefoot attempted to confuse the stronger longneck and, as a side effect, Rhett wouldn't be able to run at full speed if he constantly had to take sharp turns while squeezing through the gaps between the trees. Moreover, it was doing wonders against his much greater stamina which was taking a serious hit during this wild chase while Littlefoot could just barely get by with what endurance and strength he had left. Slowly, eventually, Littlefoot began aiming towards a slightly wider path which Cera, Spike and Chomper had prepared for Rhett. Lots of fun was waiting for his opponent for sure and Ruby and the trap would be just at the end of it when the path would lead back into the open. The plan was almost certain to work - he doubted Rhett would see through the trap or miss stepping into it by chance but one uncertain factor remained. Would Rhett continue to chase after him or run away in the opposite direction once Chomper made his move? Well, he supposed, he'd find out very soon.

"STOP RUNNING LIKE A GIRL YOU ROTTEN GIT!" Rhett panted but Littlefoot merely waved his tail and kept running. Slowly, Rhett was catching up, some worry rising in Littlefoot as his legs showed sudden signs of falling off but Chomper's log was already firmly in sight.

"_Just… a little… FURTHER!"_ he urged himself on, putting in some extra effort to stay just a body length in front of Rhett who was panting like a smoking mountain on a very gassy day. Finally, he reached the log just as he began to feel said breath in his neck.

"_Rhett, I hope you properly enjoy this…" _he thought grimly as he passed by. Just then…

***ROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR***

Even though he was prepared, Littlefoot still felt his heart skip a few beats as the terrifying and furious roar of Chomper split the air, shaking the nearby forest and everyone nearby. Chomper's recent training to become more scary in preparation to leave the valley one day really paid off for them in this situation. Looking back, he saw Rhett petrifying in shock mid-sprint, thus falling to the ground face-first and eating a good amount of dirt as he slid on due to his great momentum. With a violent sound of old wood splintering into little pieces and pieces of the log raining down everywhere, Chomper emerged, whirling around with his short arms frantically while posing above Rhett right in front of the friendly sharptooth, although he certainly wasn't acting like one right now.

Rhett, as soon as the initial shock wore off, could easily tell at this point that Littlefoot had brought his insolent friends to attack him cowardly from the shadows where he least expected it. Additionally, he could tell that it was that little biter of theirs (who had grown a little less little in the meantime) threatening him and, if their first encounter was any indication, wasn't allowed to harm him a single bit, but, still, he didn't like to take any chances, not when dealing with sharpteeth that was. What if Littlefoot hated him so much that he ordered that sharptooth (Chomper, wasn't it?) to dispose of him secretly? From the corner of his eyes, he could see the predator slowly stepping closer to his poor form lying flat on the dirt, baring his teeth, growling, even salivating… Immediately, he leapt to his feet just in time before the sound of sharp teeth crashing into each other could be heard awfully close to his precious tail which had already been bitten one too many times that night. Screaming in panic, he raced after Littlefoot who was clearly pretending to be afraid, yelling for help though it didn't even sound a little bit honest. Rhett quickly gained some distance between the sharptooth who was trampling after him with repeated roars and growls and him while gaining on Littlefoot again, his mind patterns slowly making the switch from flight to fight again. Unfortunately, he didn't get far before he felt something thick and hard ramming into his forelegs. Abruptly, the boy found himself somersaulting a few times before coming to a halt lying on his back. Immediately, Chomper caught up, posing above the fallen longneck in a threatening manner, saliva dripping from his mouth which made him believably frightening despite his small size.

"AHH!" Rhett yelped, and crawled away before Chomper's nuzzle came down, playfully of course, drilling into the dirt with great velocity, but how would Rhett know? Chomper called off the hunt at this point, though lying in wait as Rhett continued to run away like a chicken even without him chasing him around which was no longer necessary as Littlefoot was leading him straight towards the hole he had prepared with a truly tasty surprise…

"LIIIIIIITTTTTLEFOOOOOOOTTT!" Rhett yelled, angry beyond comprehension, charging at the purple-grey longneck in an all-or-nothing sprint who had stopping running for whatever reason, the goofy smile he wore driving him nuts.

"PERISH!" Rhett screamed, about to ram Littlefoot into a world full of pain when his feet hit a layer of leaves and then… nothing."

"Wha…" Rhett yelped in confusion before he fell face-first into the trap, crashing into a hive of stinging buzzers butt-first and crushing it entirely. Immediately, Littlefoot ran for it as countless insects were rising from their former prison, their angry buzzing noice filling the air, only interrupted by Rhett's pained cries as the buzzers attacked him in all imaginable body parts while Chomper jogged up to the scene to snack on as many of them as he could. At this point, everyone began to drop their guard as it became awfully clear that they had won this round of the battle, roaring laughter without holding anything back echoing through the nearby forest, Rhett only screaming and cursing louder inside the pit as the laughter met his ears.

"_BASTARDS, now they've truly done it! I'll make them pay for this and if it's the last thing I do!"_ he decided, calming down as the number of bees injecting their poison into him slowly decreased, taking a deep breath before everything escalated. Suddenly, he didn't feel the pain anymore, only hate, bottomless, uncontained hate remaining.

"_I'll mess up his goofy face until not even Ali can recognize it anymore! And if they interfere, I'll give them the same treatment!"_

In one, powerful jump, Rhett emerged from the the traphole and, immediately, the laughter ceased, Chomper retreating from the scene, smelling Rhett's wrath and knowing he'd best refrain from getting into an actual fight with the longneck for his own sake. Meanwhile, Cera also smelled (in a figurative way of course) the extreme destruction Rhett was about to unleash - Littlefoot had indeed predicted his behavior perfectly. Rhett looked more furious than she'd ever seen her dad, which was saying quite a lot after all… Her friend was about to be attacked by a Rhett so furious that he wouldn't care about injuring Littlefoot, which was part of the plan of course and also a correct prediction of the longneck but… still it didn't sit well with the threehorn.

"_I've got a bad feeling…" _she thought but nonetheless allowed the following scenes to happen in order to get Rhett into deep shit. At the very least, she mused, she'd get to save Littlefoot's butt from the annoying beige-coloured idiot which was something to look forward to, though at the price of seeing her best friend getting torn apart.

Littlefoot instinctively knew that he was about to be slaughtered by Rhett the second he emerged from the pit. Quickly, he retreated, allowing Ruby to fire snapping shells in rapid succession at Rhett, some of them smashing straight into his face but, despite drawing a fair amount of blood, the boy didn't even falter in the slightest. His face looked truly awful, smeared in blood, berry juice, pieces of broken clam and covered all over in quickly swelling bee stings, some of the insects still chasing after him. But nothing made Rhett look as ugly as the contorted, pained expression of rage he wore.

"LITTLEFOOT, I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared before he entered a mad sprint, thrusting his tormented body forward towards Littlefoot as more objects came flying at him from a rock to their left but it hardly mattered. Littlefoot had turned tail of course but his speed had yet to be matched. Faster than ever, he sprinted with a strength and determination matched by no one but the sharptooth the five members of the original gang had once defeated long ago on their perilous journey to the Great Valley. The reckless power of Rhett was reminiscent of him in more than one way and the jump the raging longneck performed to bring Littlefoot down, leaping as high as his own height, seemed just as much out of this world as that of that legendary sharptooth. With incredible force, Rhett crashed belly-first onto Littlefoot's back whose legs immediately gave in upon the ferocious impact, both longnecks tumbling to the ground as Ali uttered a terrified scream.

"Littlefoot!" Ali knew what stage of their plan the fight had reached now. Of course, she had agreed to it in the end but it didn't change the fact that she didn't want to see the dinosaur she admired getting hurt. Nevertheless, she forced herself with tremendous effort to watch it all unfold to see for herself how terrible a longneck Rhett truly was.

After a quick wrestle, Rhett gained the upper hand, managing to pin down his opponent.

"YOU BROKE THE RULES YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" he screamed into Littlefoot's face who didn't even try to struggle against Rhett's effective pin, knowing he had a lot of pain coming his way from now on.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Without hesitation, he brought one of his knees forward, ramming it with extreme force into Littlefoot's face, repeated this procedure many time over. At first, the boy was able to avoid a few of those kneeing attacks but, after a short while, Rhett succeeded to land a critical hit. Right above the right eye, a big cut opened, spilling blood all over Littlefoot's face. A groan was all that escaped his mouth.

"TAKE THIS YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Rhett screeched, continuing with unrelentless punches, hammering down onto Littlefoot's face who, at first, attempted to avoid them by constantly moving around his neck but the number of heavy blows quickly dampered his mind. Soon, he blacked out. Rhett got up as soon as he noticed it and continued to kick the poor longneck's face, soon beginning to use his tail as well on his relentless path of destruction to make sure Littlefoot would never ever get in his way again. Littlefoot's head was thrown left and right. By now, he was bleeding from several gashes on his head which quickly began to stain the grass in a crimson colour.

"STOP IT!" Ali cried, sending a begging look towards Cera as more and more blood seeped out of this wounds. Littlefoot was unable to respond to any of Rhett's attacks and Ali could only hope that he had passed out by now lest he'd have to endure the unimaginable pain Rhett was putting him through.

"_Don't worry, I'll kick his butt for this with all I've got, Ali,"_ Cera thought grimly while jumping out of her hideout and hauling her sturdy body towards Rhett who was too caught up in his assault to notice her speedy approach until it was too late. Lowering her head, Cera rammed at full speed into Rhett's unprotected flank, her nose horn leaving a bloody mark as it stabbed into the longneck, catapulting him away from Littlefoot. Immediately, everybody else raced to the scene to back Cera up.

Rhett screamed in fury, getting up and trying to charge at the threehorn but Ali had closed in the distance and, with an angry swing of her tail, she chopped away Rhett's legs who fell in the dirt in front of the threehorn looking down onto the violent longneck.

"You know, Rhett, I agree that Littlefoot is worse than a threehorn like me, from my perspective that is, but you're scum worse than an eggstealer! Attack one of my friends ever again and you won't be using that foul mouth of yours in a long, long time…"

"YOU ROTTEN B..." Rhett exhaled, angry enough to ignore the threat entirely but when Chomper arrived at the scene, making attempts to bite off his tail, Rhett bolted.

"Works everytime…" Chomper commented in a gruff voice when he got a closer look at Littlefoot, Ruby already rushing to retrieve the leaves against bleeding she had previously deposited nearby while he, along with Cera and Spike, was staring Rhett down and keeping him from attacking again.

"Littlefoot, oh brave Littlefoot…" Ali sobbed as she hung over Littlefoot's bloodied, unconscious face, her tears falling into the pool of blood in quick succession. He had done it all for her sake and now she could only hope that he'd survive and recover from these horrible injuries lest his sacrifice would be for vain.

"Oh crap, this bad," Petrie flinched as he arrived at the scene along with Ducky who immediately teared up as she got a closer look.

"Oh no no no… " There was only one cause for this, only one dinosaur responsible for hurting her best friend so Ducky darted over to the others to take a threatening pose on top of Spike, however silly it may look, Petrie taking to the skies, ready to swipe down with his talons any time in case Rhett tried something funny.

"_Darn them!"_ Now, a few body lengths separated him from his target who, in his opinion, still had a recognizable face so his revenge was far from being complete. However, he was not only facing the threehorn who, without doubt, was a worthy opponent on her own but also that sloth of a spiketail, the dangerous sharptooth and those pesky little squibbeaks. No matter how he looked at the situation, it was impossible for him now to reach Littlefoot, their advantage of numbers simply too great to ignore. Angrily, he glared at the group.

"You'll regret the day you stood up to this loser, all of you…" he announced in a cold voice while trembling with unresolved fury, the resurfacing pain and the slowly increasing effect of the poison. Turning towards Ali who had left Littlefoot's side to allow Ruby to treat him well, joining their front against Rhett, he demanded.

"Well, in spite of his unfair methods, I won, Ali. Come, you're mine now…"

While Ruby began treating Littlefoot's worst bleeding injuries, Ali froze.

"_That's right, technically, he won, but…"_

"Ali is going nowhere!" Cera shouted, positioning herself in front of her friend, showcasing her horns. "Unless you wanna feel those horns again, that is, I suggest that you drag your filthy ass out of here right now!"

"Yeah, get lost, idiot!" Petrie puffed from above.

"Yep yep yep!" Ducky stated angrily, pointing her finger at the longneck. "Go go go!"

"A-huh!" Spike grunted, stomping the ground in anger.

"I'm kind of hungry, y'know?" Chomper casually mentioned, smacking his lips to intimidate Rhett a little more, although Cera shot him a worried glance. "Wonder what that tail of yours tastes like…"

"Better than mine, I shall hope…" Cera said sourly which Chomper shrugged off in the heat of the moment and their shared anger directed at Rhett.

"You heard them!" Ali declared firmly. "I'm not going with you, leave us alone!"

"I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT IT!" Rhett roared, puffing his chest in wrath. "I WON! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"

"NO! I stinking will not!" Ali declared, sending tears flying in every direction as she shook her head frantically. "We never wanted to participate in this stinking tradition so it doesn't concern us!"

Rhett deadpanned before he screamed at the girl.

"THEN WHY DID THAT ASSHOLE FIGHT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE?!" Rhett was furious.

"You'll see soon enough…" Ali frowned, Rhett ignoring her completely and rampaging on.

"And besides… THERE. IS. NO. SUCH. THING. AS. DISOBEYING. TRADITIONS!"

"Oh?" Cera sneered," now that's a debatable opinion."

"SHUT UP, HORNFACE! I WASN'T TALKING TO A LOW CREATURE LIKE YOU!"

Cera's expression hardened. Although her temper had somewhat grown more controlled and stable over the years, insults like this still got her blood boiling. Luckily, Ali saved her the effort of starting a fight with the longneck as Ali rescued her.

"He's not worth it, he can't do anything now," she mumbled as she stepped in front of Cera who had been scraping her feet at the ground in preparation to charge.

"Oh, I guess you're right…" Cera grunted though she still wasn't happy. "He'd deserve it though."

"Me no doubt that," Petrie commented, flying down to Cera to completely the rest of his statement whispering. "But he get what he deserve when grown-ups see Littlefoot, just be patient."

"I know, I know…" Cera hissed, reluctantly relaxing a bit though still staying on alert in case Rhett was pulling something.

"Whatever, you're not even worth my attention," Rhett hissed at Cera, whose eyebrow began to twitch dangerously. "Anyway… WHY DID HE ACCEPT?!"

"You'll see for yourself soon enough," Ali repeated with a derogative tone in her voice.

"I DEMAND AN ANSWER YOU STUPID GIRL!" Rhett thundered. "TELL ME!"

Angry, Ali suddenly stepped forward until she stood right in front of the boy.

"You want to know? FINE!" she spat out as she eyed Rhett with disgust and hate. "Littlefoot accepted only to protect me! Both of us figured you might just take me by force if he declined… Isn't that true!?"

Rhett gave a cold laugh.

"Of course it is! You were going to be mine either way but that dumbass chose the hard way!"

"Right," Cera deadpanned. "You're awfully smug for someone who can't even see through Littlefoot's reasoning!"

Rhett frowned.

"I should've just taken you away…"

"But that'd surely be against your oh so holy traditions, right?" Cera continued to tease, gritting her teeth at the boy.

"Yes, indeed!" Ali spoke before Rhett got a chance to reply. "Why are you so keen on following those traditions anyway!? They're just stupid!"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM STUPID!" Rhett roared. "They're ensuring the survival of our species; your retarded love thing is only for stupid females and wimpy cunts like that bleeding meatface over there!"

***smack***

In one fluid motion, Ali whirled around, slapping Rhett across his face with her tail before quickly retreating behind Cera's protective body and taking a look at the boy she admired enough to gather the courage to slap Rhett. Littlefoot's face had been covered with leaves by Ruby and, by the looks of it, the bleeding was subsiding quickly.

"Coward," was Rhett's only comment, continuing where he had left off as if he hadn't felt the powerful hit at all.

"Only the BEST should mate; that's why there's a tradition to determine the strongest, most fit longneck! Strong longnecks are parents to strong eggs who will live up to adulthood and become strong adults who ensure the survival of us longnecks and our superiority! I AM strong; I WON the fight BECAUSE I AM strong! You finally get it? ALI, COME HERE NOW!" But Ali had decided to walk away some distance, the group of her friends standing firm as a wall between the two longnecks.

"Try seizing me if you can!" the girl challenged, making Rhett's expression freeze. "You're strong, right? A few lowly leafeaters and a juvenile sharptooth are no match for you anyway, right?" Ali said with sarcasm Cera was proud of as she listened to her friend. "Come on, come and get me, Rhett. Should be easy for you…"

Rhett's face twisted, going through many different stages but, in the end, all that happened was Ruby joining the protective wall around Littlefoot and Ali while Rhett's face got stuck in an angry frown.

"Just as I thought, now who's the coward around here?" Cera taunted.

"Shut the fuck up, threehorn," Rhett hissed but Cera could only laugh at his poor attempt to cover up his obvious fright to charge at the whole group in order to get Ali who decided to go on a rant about the traditions.

"Anyway, that tradition is just barbaric and obsolete!"

"Right…" Ruby said, joining the conversation at last with an angry frown. "Don't you have any empathy for how Ali feels? How can you keep saying these bad things without feeling thoroughly bad? I've had to kill to survive before yet I've never lost my empathy towards those who had to perish so I can live on. But you who knows no such struggles can't even understand and won't even acknowledge something as simple as love? Has no empathy for the girl he claims to love? Excuse me but you're one of a kind and that kind is the worst among all living creatures and I couldn't care less if it went extinct!"

Not just Rhett but everyone was stunned momentarily by Ruby's heartfelt speech, however that effect was only of temporary nature.

"Say what you want, killer, you don't survive with crap like that," he declared firmly.

"... and you'll never get laid with that mindset of yours, just saying…" Cera deadpanned but nobody laughed at her joke.

"FEMALES MUST OBEY THE MALES, BECAUSE THE MALES ARE STRONG AND THE MALES DECIDE WHO THEY MAKE EGGS WITH!" Rhett continued to spew nonsense but the group was slowly growing tired of it.

"When he finally go deaf from all nonsense he spouting?!" Petrie sighed in annoyance.

"Yeah, his stupidity will never end," Chomper sighed as well.

"Yeah, he should just leave us alone, yes he should, he should!" Ducky demanded.

"I agree!" Ali stated firmly, meanwhile having joined back up with the group since Rhett hadn't made any attempts to go after her.

"He should just converse with dinosaurs on his own low cognitive level, converse with other stupid dinosaurs he should!" Ruby spat out.

"Shut up, I'm not going!" Rhett declared.

"Ruby, you won't find anyone _this_ hopeless," Cera sighed. "I mean, even those Yellowbellies are brilliant compared to him…"

This actually stifled a few weak chuckles. Ali was not among them though.

"Just to clarify, I am NOT going with you, EVER!" she declared firmly, demonstratively placing herself next to Littlefoot who was still unconscious. "Now get lost!"

"YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!" Rhett screamed but it was a futile demand. He was badly outnumbered and, with horror, he realized that the seven still standing dinosaurs formed a slowly advancing line with firm stares directed at him.

"Last warning, Rhett," Cera sighed. When would the violent flathead finally get the picture and piss off? "It's seven against one; you're strong, no doubt, but we're stronger. Run or get hurt trying to take Ali with you while we chase you away!"

"Rhett's mind was in a turmoil as he realized that he couldn't take Ali with him. Despite his spirit, he possibly wouldn't fight well anymore as the buzzers' poison slowly dampered his movements and the pain was getting ever so prominent as it slowly began to return to his awareness. It was a fight he would lose even on a good day. Grudgingly, he cast a decision.

"Fine, I get it. That coward just barely got what he deserved but don't think for a second that I'm done with you! As soon as we leave this cursed valley, there's nothing you retards can do against me claiming Ali for myself anyway! Good riddance."

And with that, Rhett took his leave.

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Seven empty faces were following Rhett's retreating figure until their fiend was finally out of sight. They had won; the plan Littlefoot had deviced had worked perfectly up until now and, somehow, they had managed to show Rhett his rightful place… and yet, despite the emotional victory over Rhett, it felt more like a tremendous defeat. What good was it if Littlefoot was hurt and out of commission, his recovery still on the line? They could only hope that their dear friend would recover and that he would be correct about Rhett's possible banishment as a result of what had just transpired between them. As the adrenaline of the confrontation slowly faded from their tired bodies and minds, only Ali's occasional sobs broke the serene silence of the night which was suddenly a welcomed gift after all the ruckus and shouting, the tolls of the long day finally catching up with them as they all congregated around Ali who was sitting at Littlefoot's side.

"Will he be alright?" Ducky wondered in a meek voice.

"He'd better be…" Ali cried silently. "So soon after we…"

"Hey, I'm sure he'll be fine!" Cera declared in an attempt to cheer Ali up. "He may be many things but he's not weak. He'll be up to his feet in no time, just you wait!"

"The bleeding stopped so since it stopped I think he'll recover," Ruby added while undertaking one last examination of his condition. "Though I can't say for certain how much damage his skull has taken."

"Well, it's rather thick for a flathead, he'll be fine," Cera commented without any sarcasm for once. "Just give him some rest and he'll be back up, right?" She looked into the circle.

"Right!" the others exclaimed with more or less forced smiles to cheer each other up. Awkward stares followed since nobody knew what to say or what to do.

"Well, I'm beat," Cera eventually sighed. "Daddy's gonna yell at me for this but let's just spend the night here…"

"Yeah, there's no point walking home if we can't walk home together," Ruby pointed out with a slightly concerned glance at the fallen longneck.

"Will he be alright though…" Ali asked again in a fretful voice, still scared of her big love never opening his eyes again.

"Sure, have some faith!" Cera demanded with slight anger at Ali's lack of belief in her words. "As I said, he's tougher than he looks," she shrugged in an attempt to cheer the depressed longneck up if just a little. "He'll be back to his usual annoying self sooner than you think!"

"Yep yep yep, he will be fine, he will, he will!" Ducky piped up to support the threehorn although deep inside the swimmer also had her doubts.

"Thanks guys, L-let's hope so…" Ali mumbled with a deep sigh, curling herself up next to Littlefoot in preparation for sleep.

"Me beat too, Petrie gonna nap now," the flyer sighed, finding himself a comfy spot on Ali's back.

"Yep yep yep I am tired too, I am, I am;" Ducky agreed, lying down next to Spike who had already taken his sleeping pose while yawning contently.

"Night guys." Cera commented quickly before dropping like a boulder where she was standing.

"Good night my friends, my friends good night, " Ruby cooed before resting herself, only Chomper quietly sneaking off to look for leftovers from the hive of buzzy stingers.

"I'm not sure if I can sleep…" Ali winced, feeling fresh tears welling up in her eyes. That was when she heard the sound of a body getting up and footsteps approaching until another warm body seated itself on her other flank (she was leaning against Littlefoot). It was Cera.

"I'm gonna keep you company, okay?" the girl said quietly as she lied down next to the other girl. "You'll see, everything will be fine tomorrow."

"Thanks, Cera," Ali mumbled. "I hope so…" That was when a slightly more satisfying thought entered Ali's mind which put her more at ease immediately.

"_Tomorrow Rhett will learn the true reason why Littlefoot chose to fight…" _It was the last, crucial part of their plan and it better damned worked out as they had schemed. Rhett had dealt a serious injury and, with some twisting of facts, they would be able to frame Rhett for committing a crime they both agreed on… but that was something the grown-ups didn't need to know, right?" With a slightly better feeling, Ali eventually found into an uneasy sleep.

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**Okay, first off, take a breather lol. This was intense, even though I've written this I still feel how intense this was after reading it all myself to spot the last couple awkward typos I still hadn't spotted until now (and who knows how many I've still missed). Since I ended up having to explain a lot in responses to reviews and since this chapter, at best, is even more controversial than the previous installment, I shall attempt to mention the most obvious ones in my author's note here.**

**I've carefully reviewed the language used here after people deemed it a little unfit in the previous chapter. Arguably, in a situation where emotions get this heated, you'll have to endure a bit of extreme language, especially since the characters are a little older and the last couple sequels do their mental maturity no justice. People think of the cast as never-changing in terms of age while I think that they do age gradually over the course of the sequels (which has largely been ignored by the writers but this is not the place to ramble about these things lol). That being said, I removed most of the really extreme language and, following a suggestion of my proofreader/editor I also removed any insults that would sound a little awkward if dinosaurs are using them (like "pussy" or "bitch").**

**Did Rhett go too far? Did the Gang go too far as well? Those are questions I probably can't fully answer but I feel like I was able to reach the maximum effect here. Rhett has shown us an even more extreme and over-the-top behavior here, one that has certainly reached its peak with this chapter. As for the Gang, they will get to reflect critically on what has happened on that night soon enough :)**

**Out of character? No need to mention that, of course the gang aren't in-character. The whole situation demands it and causes them to act outside of their usual patterns and preferences. Out of character isn't bad, it just has to make sense in the context of what's happening around them. I don't hear people rambling about Ducky being awfully OOC in "The Big Freeze" when she clearly was (but this ain't the time and place to ramble xD)**

**I am very curious about the pacing in this chapter. It's a very long chapter for sure because, especially with fights and action, it's never a sign of great writing if it's awfully short. I've wanted to address a lot of things in this chapter aside from the obvious conflict and of course it's easy to get carried away when things go absolutely crazy I tried to focus on the action between the two combatants but also give them some moments to reflect and give the reader an insight into their mindset and motivations. The dialogue is getting heavier the longer the chapter drags on and I hope that I was able to write it in a way that works in the context of this story. It was extremely emotional dialogue, a lot of bullying and teasing and shittalking, a lot of ugly words etc. I've never written such a thing before so I'm really curious to hear your thoughts. I was certainly trying to write a rather epic and fierce fight and if I've managed to make that impression, I think I'm happy with myself as I can already predict that not everyone might agree with the style of this story.**

**Littlefoot is significantly hurt now, Rhett has won and yet lost, the gang have lost and still won... and the big question is what the next morning will bring when the Great Valley learns of what has transpired over night. Will Littlefoot's plan really work? Will Rhett get into trouble? What are the characters going to feel about everything that's happened once emotions have calmed down again? And why the heck is this story called "Return To The Land Of Mists" when, so far, this was all about Rhett being a *censored* and Littlefoot and Ali discovering their love for each other? The next 4 chapters should answer these questions; I planned and wrote the outline for them two days ago and story will revive from its hiatus immediately!**

**Thanks for reading until now, we've gotten over the toughest part now and the really interesting events are about to unfold!**

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**(OMG so many reviews! This is boosting the word count by 5k xD)**

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Story ideas chapter 7 . Sep 17

I believe I now know what you ment that chapter 7 will be intense; the fight along with poor Littlefoot getting beat up, he truly doesn't deserve that. PLEASE make sure he wins we both know that Littlefoot deserves Ali more then Rhett

**Yes, I wholeheartedly agree lol. As you can see, one could argue that neither of them really won. Rhett had the physical victory but Littlefoot and the Gang had the mental victory in the end. The true decision about who won and who lost will be cast soon however not on a battlefield this time around :)**

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hadiginga chapter 7 . Sep 17

I want rhett to be kick out the heard and I want littlefoot to win I really like this story

**I'm glad you like the story :) You'll see in a few chapter whether Littlefoot's plan to get Rhett kicked out from the herd is working or not. Stay tuned :)**

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Anagnos chapter 7 .Sep 17

I'll start by saying that I'm glad to see you continue this story once again and while there were some problems in this chapter that I couldn't help but pay attention to, the recent developments seem to indicate that in the upcoming chapters we will finally see another side to this story that will give it the boost it needs in order to prosper.

Rhett's actions have taken a complete turn for the worst with the start of the chapter. Indeed, he appears to be even more obnoxious than before, and needless to say that it's making matters extremely awkward between the characters and dare I say that this transition is starting to make things a bit more interesting. Time will tell if it will continue to keep things interesting, but for now we have passed the inelasticity.

Even so, there were quite a few problems that one should take into consideration in this chapter. My main points would be your use of profanity among the gang, as that seems highly unlikely to happen. I also couldn't help but notice that there were quite a few grammatical errors present, but they didn't ruin reading the chapter for me at least. It is likewise unfathomable to understand the Gang's feelings about potentially throwing Rhett out into the wilderness so carelessly, as that most certainly doesn't fit their characterizations very well.

Despite these issues I mentioned, it is once again a pleasure to see you continue this story and like I said, the future installments will no doubt be very intriguing as we finally get to see the confrontation come to light between Littlefoot and Rhett. The loser of that fight will be in a rock and a hard place, and I hate to think of the implications for the individual whom suffers this fate in the end. Very nice job, Ducky!

**Thanks for your review!**

**We'll know after seeing the next chapter for sure :) Abandoning stories never feels easy. The two bigger stories that I abandoned (and my first fanfiction which was awful) are still projects I would perhaps pick up given enough time to work out a proper outline but managing the stories currently active is all I can do for now. This is probably right after SDP in terms of priority at the moment, given that it is perhaps the easiest to finish due to the medium-length (we're probably looking at a little above 100k for the full story). SDP is at least on the scale of Separate Ways, TST or TSH and that is not including the various ideas I have for a sequel ), Not Supposed is certainly a longer work which would take some time to get back into at the moment and the novellization project is basically a project that will haunt me until I'm old at the current rate xD**

**I am glad to hear that things are starting to get interesting in your view :) Indeed it makes things extremely awkward and forces some of them to take rather extreme measures and decisions...**

**I would like to discuss these problems if you don't mind (and I will also be curious to see if others see the same issues that you do). First of all, it's probably pretty rough asking to point out the grammatical errors you found when a chapter is 9k in length but by all means if you can still recall a few or just the general type of mistakes I made, let me know and I'll review them I usually don't have any issues with my grammar so I'm really curious what you are referring to now**  
**Next, profanity. Please do realise that the gang have aged a little. This is set a year after the events of the tv-series (which, in my opinion, is set when the gang are just entering their double-digit age). Albeit not fully entering the Time of Great Growing yet, there are a few changes that I think they are likely to undergo and, aside from being a little more mature and, physically speaking, quite a bit bigger, I also thought that this development would coincide with their language gradually becoming less one children would use and using a little more slang and also profanity (Cera in particular ). I'm not sure if you agree with my opinion (it is just an opinion after all not precisely based on hard facts ) but I hope I could explain well why I did use this kind of language a little more than we might expect in the movies. I'm happy to hear more discussion/opinions about this matter. If the general consensus is that the language is too rough, I will review the chapter once more of course :)**

**About the gangs attitude towards Rhett. You are correct that their reactions are, frankly speaking, quite over the top and extreme. Believe me, I've had a rather lengthy discussion with my proofreader about this matter, mostly because he found it hard to accept that Ali who is among the most compassionate characters of the LBT cast would agree to such a plan. I agree that the gang are too harsh on Rhett but please rest assured. I have scenes planned in the near future that will address this "misbehavior" of them (I cannot really say more because saying any more would probably be spoiler territory ). And to explain why they are acting like that towards Rhett, you've got to consider their situation. You said it yourself that Rhett is extremely obnoxious and I would add to that that he is quite toxic and even dangerous, given his qualities as a bully and his absurd mindset.**  
**Littlefoot and Ali thoroughly hate Rhett at this point for how he is getting inbetween the relationship that just blossomed between them and this hate is blinding them to some extent. This hate goes to a lesser extend for the rest of the gang but their loyalties are pretty strong. They're pushing each other during that conversation, failing to realize that what they are suggesting might be a little too harsh (not that Rhett would care in their position). Some sort of gang mentality (no pun intended) is quickly developing and nobody spares a result for Rhett's future as a result. It is pretty hard to feel any empathy towards someone who is acting the way Rhett does, which seems beyond redeemable at this point. Therefore, I believe, while certainly extreme and uncalled for, the gang are not acting out of character given the situation they're placed in but certainly it is not behavior you would expect of them. As I said, you would do me wrong to assume I haven't considered it and I can assure you that the gang and particularly our two flatheads will realize soon enough that they've gone too far. (and, without saying too much, Rhett _might_ not be as irredeemable as it currently seems either. I'm all prepared to do some serious character development )**

**Again, I'd like to hear more opinions and responses to this because I'm really curious if my line of thinking is wrong or not. Just place yourself in this situation. What would you do? Think about it. I would totally do it like Littlefoot and Ali but realize later that it's shit once my anger is gone :P**

**Well said I can only second the the next chapter will be extremely intriguing. Either Littlefoot or Rhett will go through hell soon enough. Or both? I'd better not wait another 2 months huh? ^^**

**Anyway, thanks for the honest and thorough review, I'm more than happy to hear your reply and I'm happy that you liked the developments regardless of the issues you pinpointed because, in the end, that is the most important for me, yep yep yep :)**

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UnionRags123 chapter 7 . Sep 19

OMG. What a jerk...

Rhett seriously needs to be "Chicken Run" (Ran?) soon XD

**Agreed lol :D**

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Keijo6 chapter 7 . Sep 19

This was in many ways a rather strange chapter. What I mean by that is that the plot developments left me with a mixed feeling just about how probable they'd be in a story like this, namely the challenge itself and the later plotting inside the Gang. While the writing and dialogue mostly worked, there are somethings I'd like to mention.

The beginning of this chapter was quite intense as Rhett's ultimatum to Littlefoot raised the stakes quite drastically. However, I'd never see him actively threatening to kill Littlefoot but then again, my opinion of him in this story is quite clear. What bugged me more was that I started to wonder why Littlefoot ever accepted the challenge. After all, neither he nor Ali cared about this tradition so they could have just rejected the offer and beaten Rhett up together if he got violent. I never got over this question.

As for the latter parts of this chapter, the dialogue inside the Gang worked quite well and it was quite fun to hear all of their ideas on how to deal with the longneck. You gave that discussion quite a lot of depth and I enjoyed that scene quite a lot. I have to second Anagnos' concerns about the swear words the Gang uses as well as their willingness to actually hurt Rhett. However, the latter part could be possible in this situation so it's okay.

As for the next chapter, it's practically certain Rhett will be bested quite handily with the Gang's plot unless he's planning on playing dirty as well. In any case, it's clear that the next chapter will be an intense one and whatever is going to happen, I'm sure it will be a gamechanger for this story. But for now, this chapter built solid foundations for what's to come.

**Thank you very much for the review, Keijo :)**

**I'm very glad to hear that you, too, have rather enjoyed the developments and particularly the interactions within the gang!**

**You are wondering why Littlefoot accepted and that's a good point. I'm not sure if Littlefoot would really act like this to be honest but I have a few possible reasons for his behavior to make sense in the circumstances of this story.**

**First of all, as you can clearly tell, I've been working towards this Rhett vs. Littlefoot situation all the time. It's no real spoiler that they will fight in the next chapter. I needed a reason for them to fight because, as you said, Littlefoot might not be the type to look for a confrontation if it can be solved by other means. You could perfectly argue that the fight can be prevented but then all the build-up would be for nothing, wouldn't it? So why did Littlefoot accept?**

**1\. Perhaps the most important and immediate reason why Littlefoot accepts is because he wants to protect Ali as Rhett corners both of them. Littlefoot is afraid of Rhett becoming violent towards him and possibly Ali to obtain the latter if he declines. He does not know how Rhett would react (Violence? Teasing/Mocking? A "I'll have Ali all to myself anyway as soon as we're gone" response? (out-of-character for the Rhett of this story)) so he does the best thing to make sure that he and Ali can escape from Rhett unscathed in this cornered situation. You suggest that they could have ganged up on Rhett to drive him away but, aside from this being quite out of character for Ali in particular, Rhett is also far from a dog who only barks in this story. You'll have to wait a while to learn about the backstory I forged for him (nobody has done that before AFAIK) but rest assured that he is quite capable of taking on Littlefoot and Ali at the same time and emerging victorious since neither of them know how to fight while he certainly does. It is therefore the best option for Littlefoot to accept (regardless of his actual intentions)**

**2\. This is an additional point that coincides with 1. He wants to buy time to discuss the situation with Ali and his friends and review his options. You could argue that they should have fetched their folks to sort this out and prohibit Rhett from taking action. As a matter of fact that would have been the best way to sort this out. However, the story would be a lot more boring if that happened, wouldn't it? Certainly, it would be more in-character for Littlefoot trying to resolve the problem in a more diplomatic manner but to make sure that the conflict reaches a good and thrilling climax I decided that Littlefoot would accept the challenge.**

**3\. This is probably the weakest and most arguable reason but Littlefoot simply hates Rhett. He has suffered greatly from Rhett's stalking, his harassment and for ruining his first romantic experience. Therefore, his reasoning is somewhat limited as his mind is clouded by his anger and he makes this decision without pondering about alternatives (as mentioned above).**

**4\. This is a more indirect influence but one I think could be very well possible. Littlefoot is in a pre-pubescent age, the Time of Great Growing already in its early stages. I'm placing the gang and him at about 10-11 years of age during the TV show (an estimate after analyzing the events of the sequels) so we can assume that Littlefoot is around 11-12 years old as are Ali and Rhett. While he still has a childish mind, he is beginning to feel the effects of the hormones that help kickstarting his puberty. He already begins to view Ali as his future partner (even if this hasn't reached his mind yet) and thus a set of male instincts (which are the reason why longnecks are fighting over females in some sort of tradition) are influencing Littlefoot. He subconsciously wants to prove himself and he wants to protect the girl he has chosen from another male.**

**While we're talking about the tradition, he indeed doesn't care about it at all and therefore has no plans to stick to the rules that accompany it. Nevertheless, he accepts because.**

**1\. Rhett wouldn't leave them alone unless drastic sanctions for Rhett would be put in place (as I said, too boring for the story)**

**2\. If Littlefoot's far fetched plan actually works, he would have found a way to keep Rhett away from Ali even during her travels. Since Rhett is a keen believer of the traditions, it might be the only way that he would actually accept the loss of Ali's heart to Littlefoot.**

**Which brings us to 5.**

**The biggest issue for Littlefoot, perhaps, is that he cannot prevent Rhett from doing as he pleases once Ali's herd sets out on their migration again. Therefore, he has a special motivation to do something about that. As mentioned above, Rhett would back down upon a loss he considers rightful and fair. It is for vain since neither party plans to play fair but he still wants to beat him somehow. And since that is rather unlikely at best, he uses his wit to come up with his devious plan to trick Rhett...**

**I hope this lengthy response doesn't bother you. I think Littlefoot's most likely behavior is likely somewhere between what I wrote in the chapter and what you suggested in your review.**

**I certainly hope that the path I have chosen will not disappoint :)**

**PS: I almost forgot to mention something. While the plot is about the gang helping Littlefoot in the fight, Littlefoot absolutely refuses any direct help from them. I've tried to point that out quite clearly in the chapter. In Littlefoot's opinion, he should be fighting Rhett on his own, only asking for some support because he knows that he is too weak. Since the fight has nothing to do with his friends, he doesn't want them to take on Rhett actively (with the risk of them getting hurt) but help from afar. I hope you'll like my ideas and the way they'll be worked into the narrative :)**

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Guest chapter 7 . Sep 19

Your footnote is right, there is quite a lote to discuss in this chapter. To start, I think you may have inadvertently introduced a very interesting nature versus nurture argument in this chapter given the disparity between Ali and Rhett. While both were raised in herds they couldn't be more different. For example even when Ali believed in traditional longneck values, presumably under relatively similar conditions as Rhett, she was always polite and never speciesist even to those she'd been taught to mistrust. Going as far as to apologize to the gang for not being able to play with them before being overwhelmed by her shyness and hiding in a bush. This is of course the exact opposite of Rhett who is not only speciesist, despite trying to hide it initially, but also believes in eugenics. It makes me wonder what his upbringing was like considering how, despite their similar circumstances, he developed into a sadist while Ali is one of the kindest and most compassionate characters in the series.

As for the cursing in this chapter, I think it's perfectly understandable given the circumstances. The characters are now preteens dealing with an incredibly stressful situation involving stalking and the threat of assault. Maintaining the completely clean dialogue of the previous films wouldn't make sense considering their age and what they're going through. Of course I don't think it'd be reasonable if they all cursed exorbitantly but that's not what this chapter does. Some characters swear more than others and it's used sparingly. Additionally, while I was initially surprised by this, I don't think it was out of character for Ali to want Rhett gone. Everyone has a breaking point and he's made her incredibly miserable by trying to ruin her date with Littlefoot as well as threatening her and her friends. Wanting him banished doesn't mean she wants him to die, it's just the best solution she sees to her the current scenario. Besides, you know someone is bad if even Ali and Ducky are plotting their downfall lol In all seriousness though, I think it makes more sense for her to be desperate in this situation as opposed to forgiving Rhett for everything he's done to her because of the power of friendship.

Now onto more general comments. The banter between Littlefoot and Cera in this chapter is brilliant. I especially love how she actually compliments him on planning a good first date as well as her sly satisfaction and friendly teasing towards Littlefoot's discomfort during his confession. As I've said before, she's probably known this all along and has been waiting for the opportunity to give him a hard time lol It was good to clearly see her friendship with both Littlefoot and Ali demonstrated here. I also thought Chomper's reaction of "that didn't take long" after hearing Littlefoot and Ali were a couple was hilarious. It makes total sense that he wouldn't be aware of their longstanding crush, but at the same time all I thought when I read that was "Chomper, you sweet summer child, you have no idea how long some of us have been dying to hear that confession.

An excellent chapter that was more than worth the wait. Good work Evil Swimmer, I can't wait to see how their plan comes together in the next installment.

P.S. I really appreciate how you showed Littlefoot and Ali dealing with a disagreement. Relationships aren't always perfect and I like that you not only showed this but had them overcome it in a such a healthy way. Cera usually fights Littlefoot when they argue but we both know Ali isn't that type of person. It's completely in character for her to want to talk about her feelings and although it got heated for a second because of stress you can tell it was out of concern for each other's wellbeing rather than any kind of malice. It was great to see them be able to calm down and mutually talk things out instead of escalating the conflict like past arguments in this series. Thank you for writing both of them in character and portraying such a stable, healthy, relationship.

(There's no need to respond to this separately from the rest of my review. Just act like they're one continuous review, since that was the original plan before I posted it and realized I left out a section from my notes)

**Thanks for your review as always :)**

**The differences between Ali and Rhett couldn't be greater indeed, which makes me wonder how they ended up paired up in the tv-series... oh well, we're talking about the tv-series so why does it surprise? LOL!**

**Thanks for sharing your opinion on the cursing issue. I think I'm going to keep things as they are now in that regard :)**

**I do admit, the banter between Littlefoot and Cera is one of my favorite aspects of this chapter xD I'm glad that you liked my portrayal of Littlefoot and Ali here, yep yep yep :)**

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The Rhombuschapter 7 .Sep 30

Well, Rhett certainly is not building up any sympathy from me in this chapter. :p If anything his antics have continued to deteriorate as Littlefoot and Ali's relationship grows closer and closer. And, much like a person who views love in a domination-type calculus as opposed to actual love, Rhett is quickly decompensating and losing any pretenses of benign intent.

I suppose that my main critique here has to do with some of the characterizations. I can see Rhett's characterization here if one takes an uncharitable view of what makes him tick deep inside, so even though that view of the character does not correspond with my own, I can certainly assume this other viewpoint for the sake of this story. The characterization of some of the gang's interactions, however, do strike me as a bit odd. Like, as Anagnos has said, the idea of them throwing Rhett out into the wilderness so flippantly seems more than a little out of character, even considering what has been going on up until this time.

But that being said, I am glad to see this story continue. :) I can certainly relate to writing a story that seems to go very slowly for long stretches of time, but the important thing is that you are enjoying yourself and that the story continues to develop.

**(you wrote a different review on the Gang of Five forum xD)**

**Rhett's antics have deteriorated badly lol (and even more so in chapter 7).**

**Yeah, the gang is having a very over-the-top reaction to Rhett's antics which is going to bite them eventually. It may be out-of-character but I will address the matter in later chapters :)**

**Thanks for the review :)**


	9. Chapter 8 - Dawn of a new day

**Chapter 8:** **Dawn of a new day**

"_C'mon Littlefoot! Beat him to a pulp!"_

_Ali had stopped counting how many times she had yelled at Littlefoot to keep on fighting. The longneck she loved had been locked in a fierce battle with Rhett who unarguably held control over her friend, kicking him in all possible places, over and over, Littlefoot barely capable of defending himself as his injuries grew. She had also stopped counting just for how long this fight had been going - certainly it felt like it had been at least an hour since it had begun._

"_Hey Ali!"_

_Ali suddenly perked up from her introspection when Rhett addressed her with a malicious grin. What did that idiot want?_

"_How d'ya reckon I should finish this ass-cunt off?" Rhett inquired while casually kicking into Littlefoot's face who was hardly able to resist at this point, covered in bruises and bleeding from several cuts and lacerations._

"_Don't you think this has been going on for long enough?!" Ali blurted out without giving her words much thought. "It's obvious that you're stronger but don't hurt my Littlefoot!"_

"_Ali, Ali… he doesn't belong to you. Females belong to the males, not the other way around, did you forget?" he smirked in such an evil fashion that Ali's blood began to boil. _

"_Just let go of him you jerk!" she yelled, slowly growing desperate as Rhett held all power in his paws now._

"_Anyway, if you fail to give me a good inspiration to finish him off, I will come up with something myself… something that's doing this meatface justice, I daresay…"_

"_Just leave him alone for the Bright Circle's sake!" Ali begged, being very close to tearing up. "You've won, okay?!"_

"_He's still a threat though because he's brainwashed you, Ali…" Rhett had abandoned Littlefoot for a second, who was unable to get up after receiving a few well-aimed kicks at the back of his head, and walked up to Ali until his smug grin was pushing against Ali's face contorted in rage and also fear as the boy intruded her personal space quite rudely._

"_Listen, Ali. You'll be mine now. I'll dispose of this weakling now, I've had enough fun now. It's time to get serious…" _

_Ali could only utter a faint cry as a horrible realization began to dawn on her. Rhett didn't just want to win this fight and claim the right to mate with her. The tradition didn't prohibit the loser from challenging the winner again; Rhett wanted to remove Littlefoot as a threat altogether, which meant…_

"_D-don't tell me…" she suddenly whispered in utter shock, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes. Rhett's gleeful gaze was more penetrating than any physical attack could have ever been. _

"_Say goodbye to him, you'll never see him again, hahahahaha!" Rhett broke into a fit of evil laughter as posed over the fallen body of Littlefoot._

"_No…" Ali couldn't believe this was actually happening. Rhett was about to murder Littlefoot - she had to do something!_

"_I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Without a plan in mind, Ali's body thrusted forward on its own accord. She wouldn't allow Rhett to kill the dinosaur she loved so she fought even if it was pointless. Rhett didn't waver as she approached him, his wicked grin only growing more entertained as Ali prepared to ram Rhett into oblivion…_

_***SLAP***_

_It had happened so fast that Ali had no time to react. Rhett had rotated his body so fast that she didn't see his tail before it whipped against her chin with tremendous force. Ali felt all control fall from her body as she crashed into Littlefoot's groaning, unmoving body. Although she hadn't lost conscience, she couldn't move a muscle as she had been temporarily paralyzed by the powerful slap. Rhett cackled, kicking her away from Littlefoot before beginning to drag Littlefoot away… away from her… dragged him towards that ledge… that ledge where they had spent their first romantic moments together… that ledge with ended in a drop so deep that Ali felt sick just looking into the looming abyss below. Rhett was now standing at the edge, Littlefoot in front of him. Rhett smirked one last time before…_

_***WHAM***_

… _he slapped his tail against Littlefoot who was pushed over the edge and began to fall, disappear from her view, fall for what seemed like an eternity before…_

_***CRASH***_

_...his body hit something. It was a sound so sickening that it continued to echo in her mind long after the actual sound of it had been swallowed by the darkness of the night. Ali suddenly realized that her paralysation had lifted at last. With shaking legs, she walked towards the edge like a zombie, exchanged an unbelieving glance with Rhett, and looked down. Somewhere far below was an unrecognizable mess of blood, flesh and bones…_

_It was Littlefoot - or what was left of him anyhow._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…_

* * *

...OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ali sat upright, her heart aching as it hammered in her chest, her lungs expanding to the point of physical pain with each panicky breath. Her eyes were wide open in shock and the echo of her scream was reverberating off the mountains. It was early morning, just a little short of daybreak and something warm next to her soon caught her attention.

It was Littlefoot, covered in many swollen bruises, taking on a large variety of ugly colours, and his face still covered in healing leaves which were soaked in his dried blood. Ali looked at him and almost started to cry like a hatchling when she realized that Littlefoot was very well alive, maybe not in a very good shape, but alive, sleeping peacefully beside her, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm that quickly gave her the comfort she needed to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes and calm down from her nightmare. Only then, Ali gradually became aware of a few more figures stirring around her. Cera was rising next to her, groaning groggily, a spooked Petrie clinging onto her back. Ducky had unarguably fallen off Spike's back where she had been sleeping and even Spike seemed to be awake in mild shock. A duet of yawns a little to her right confirmed that she had truly woken the entirety of her friends with her scream of terror just now, with the exception of Littlefoot who was still unconscious.

"S-sorry…" Ali stammered as she felt a few judging eyes lingering on her bashful face, sinking a little lower to the ground. Since Cera was the closest to her, it was also the one whose gaze she couldn't avoid. It rested on her, annoyed and judging before it suddenly eased up and turned into a heavy sigh.

"Well, I'm glad threehorns don't have sleepstories like that," the girl mused while rolling her eyes but then she gave Ali a wink that everything was alright and the longneck eased up a little.

"Never... scare Petrie... like that... ever... again!" Petrie scorned as he finally unattached himself from Cera, shakily hopping off the threehorn.

"Oh Petrie, do not be so mean, no no no," Ducky reprimanded the flyer, walking over to the longneck while dusting herself off to hug her in comfort which Ali answered with a slight smile.

"Ali did not want to have a scary sleep story because scary sleepstories always come uninvited," Ruby stated as she and Chomper joined the group, meanwhile inspecting Littlefoot and sighing with relief to see him sleeping peacefully.

"What was it about?" Cera casually requested, not expecting to receive a detailed answer as Ali was still showing heavy signs of being distraught.

"The fight but… it ended badly for Littlefoot, he… " Ali stopped as the images returned with full brutality.

"Hey, don't sweat it; whatever happened to him didn't happen to him in reality, okay?" Cera said pointedly while giving the longneck a pep talk. "Look at his goofy face, in a few days it'll be as good as new! Cheer up, Ali!"

"_Cera is right…"_ Ali shook her head to force the images away and instead leaned against Littlefoot's warm body. "_You were so brave, I haven't forgotten about my promise…"_ she thought which brought a smile to her face.

"Better?" Cera grinned.

"Better!" Ali beamed. Another thing that was worth cheering up for was the coming day. She could hardly wait to report everything to Old One and just imagining how angry Littlefoot's grandparents would probably be at Rhett gave her new energy.

"I hate to ask this by the way but…" came Chomper's voice all of a sudden. "But… what are we gonna do now? We can't exactly stay here all the time and, I mean…"

"Yeah… Littlefoot not going anywhere anytime soon," Petrie pointed out, still a little sour about the rough wake-up call.

"Maybe we should try to wake him up?" Ducky offered which earned her a few shrugs in return. Certainly, Littlefoot was best off sleeping his injuries away but since there was the possibility of concussion, one had to be careful. Determining whether Littlefoot was simply in a deep sleep or actually still unconscious could be an important piece of information.

"I'll give it a shot," Ali eventually confirmed, carefully removing a few of the leaves on his face to reveal his blood-crusted visage.

"L-littlefoot?" she hummed quietly with an uncertain undertone in her voice. Carefully, she rubbed her face against his cheek, giving him a few tender nudges.

"Geez, Ali, you've gotta be a little less gentle if you want to wake him up - I mean, he was right next to you and didn't even hear you scream!" Cera criticized the longneck in a mixture of amusement and a weak attempt at teasing her for her fondness of Littlefoot.

"Yes, I know but… see, if he's hurt his head badly, maybe I shouldn't…"

"That's a good point, a good point it is," Ruby affirmed wisely, pointing with a finger at Cera who rolled her eyes in response to the reprimand.

"Just poke him somewhere else then, geez…" she grunted and before anyone could stop her, Cera readied her front horn and gave Littlefoot a jog, gentle enough not to cause him additional injury but fierce enough to be felt.

"Cera, stop it!" Ali shouted but her outrage soon died down when Littlefoot began showing signs of life.

"Well, that worked!" As Cera began to wear a smug grin, everyone else gathered around Littlefoot's stirring form, Ali positioning herself in front of him where he could see her without having to move his neck.

"Littlefoot?" she whispered.

* * *

"_Ouch, my head…"_

When Littlefoot came to, the throbbing pain in his head was the first thing that reached his mind. He felt as if someone had pushed him down an entire mountain as his entire body seemed to ache and sting.

"_Voices? Ow, can't they be quieter?"_

Any sound was like fire channeling through his brain right now though there was one voice so soft and sweet that it was just barely bearable.

"A...A-li?"

Ali beamed when she heard Littlefoot mutter her name, although her joy was relatively short-lived since it was apparent that the boy was in huge pain.

"Littlefoot, I'm so glad…" she whispered and before Ali knew it she was weeping while nuzzling Littlefoot's cheek. "You're so… stupid but… you're also… amazing and… so so brave!" the girl sobbed and before she knew what she was doing, she had kissed Littlefoot on the cheek much to the astonishment of everyone present, even Cera too surprised to offer a pointy remark.

"Please rest yourself a-and get well s-s-soon!" Ali begged as she looked into Littlefoot's brown, tired eyes.

"Yeah, we'll make sure your silly sacrifice will get Rhett thrown from the Great Wall, count on it!" Cera exclaimed, the mere picture of that making her look forward to the events of the day.

"Not… so loud… hurts my head…" Littlefoot suddenly spoke through gritted teeth and Cera immediately made an apologetic gesture.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled bashfully.

"Can you walk?" Ruby eventually piped up, careful to speak in a subdued voice while inspecting the cuts on his head which seemed to have crusted over very well over night. "We will have to get to the grown-ups since most of the grown-ups can't go up here."

Littlefoot pondered this for a few moments before shaking his head ever so slightly that only Ali was able to pick up the gesture.

"He's hurt his head; he mustn't walk yet," Ali explained in a soft voice which prompted a sigh from the fast runner.

"Then how are we going to get him somewhere the grown-ups can take care of him?" she inquired.

"Well, he's simply too big for one of us to carry him," Cera analyzed as she rummaged in her brain. She could have sworn they had once, a long time ago, had to carry something but she couldn't remember what it had been or how they had resolved the issue back then…

"_Wait…"_ Her gaze fell on Chomper, innocently following a butterfly with his eyes, waiting for it to get into his range, when she suddenly remembered.

"The egg… of course!" Cera barely minded Littlefoot, wincing once again, as she made her triumphant exclamation.

"Huh?" Ducky, Petrie, Chomper and Ruby replied at once, exchanging curious glances with each other while Ali continued to nuzzle Littlefoot to give him comfort in his world of pain and misery.

"Duh, remember when we "rescued" Chomper's egg back in the days?" Cera prompted which lit Ducky's and Petrie's eyes with the answer finally in reach. "If we build something large and strong enough to carry Littlefoot, we could carry him together!"

"How's that going to work?" Chomper puzzled. "Also, I think this is the first time I hear about you guys carrying my egg like that."

"Ducky and me too small back then and egg too heavy for us," Petrie explained matter-of-factly.

"Yep yep yep, and the others did not have hands to carry the egg so we had to think of something…" Ducky added while nodding with a smile.

"What did you do then?" Ruby wondered with great curiosity, intrigued by the creativity at display.

"Easy, we took two twigs and tied them together with vines so the egg couldn't fall through the gap," Cera explained smugly, selling it as her idea even when it had been Littlefoot's back then but Ruby needn't know about that fact.

"A twig is not going to carry a longneck though, oh no no no…" Ducky eventually sighed.

"Maybe a branch from tree might?" Petrie offered.

"Yeah, that's what I've been thinking too," Cera confirmed. "Let's split up and search for something useable lying around here in this forest!"

Cera's proposal met immediate support from her friends and, quickly, two groups had established, darting off into the forest to look for resources just as the Bright Circle began to peek over the horizon. Cera had stayed behind for now as had Ali.

"You're gonna stay with Littlefoot, I take it?" the threehorn wondered in a casual voice.

"Hmm," Ali mumbled as she remained seated in front of Littlefoot, their heads touching. Littlefoot had closed his eyes again, though his pain-contorted face revealed that he wasn't sleeping.

"I'll go look on my own then, I'll be right back!"

"Good luck," Ali mumbled quietly as not to add to Littlefoot's torment. Soon, the two longnecks were alone, only the distant conversations of Ruby and Ducky, reprimanding Chomper and Spike respectively not to go snacking when their friend needed their help, carrying over with the gentle morning breeze. It almost made her snicker a little.

"A-li…"

Ali perked up when Littlefoot tried to address her, although it was apparent that his own voice was just as painful for him.

"Don't talk now, just try to go back to sleep," she said sweetly while nuzzling the boy in a caressing manner.

"Then why did you wake me up in the first place…" Littlefoot groaned in a pain-stricken voice.

"We had to know if you would wake up at all," Ali answered with some unease. "It is not unheard of for dinosaurs suffering from head injuries to sleep and never wake up again… we-I had to make sure."

"I see…" Littlefoot mumbled.

"Rest now, we can talk more when you're in better shape," Ali suggested in a soothing voice which Littlefoot couldn't object with. "Leave the aftermath to us, we've got this!"

"Alright, good luck…" Littlefoot mumbled before he drifted back into a deep slumber. Ali giggled at the display; Littlefoot looked so innocent and cute when he slept! With a smile on her face, she continued to watch over him until Cera returned, dragging two entire small trees which had just started growing with great effort.

Soon, everyone had returned and work began on a construction to carry Littlefoot with. Spike had been tasked to retrieve the vines they had used to trip Rhett the other night while Ducky and Chomper were gathering smaller sticks with aerial support from Petrie. The two small trees were trimmed by Ruby and stripped of their leaves by a hungry Spike until only the trunks remained which were around 3-4 inches strong. Smaller sticks were tied parallel to the trunks and the thick vines were locking them in place to make it stable. Granted, it didn't look too great but when they tested it on Ali, it would carry her with ease.

"Great work, everyone!" Cera beamed as she looked proudly at their handiwork. "Let's begin!"

With utmost care, the construction was placed next to Littlefoot before they managed to heave Littlefoot onto it, Ruby, Chomper, Ducky and Petrie being able to lift him just barely enough for Ali to fit her neck underneath, lifting him just enough to tow him and carefully put him down parallel to the construction which had been placed on Cera's and Spike's backs just before. Since both of them were only carrying half of his weight, it was bearable for a while. Besides, Ali and Ruby were quickly sprinting to both ends, while Chomper ducked underneath Littlefoot's sleeping form, helping to stabilize the longneck and preventing him from slipping off. Carefully, they began their journey back down into the main parts of the Great Valley…

* * *

To say that Rhett was furious would be an understatement. The pain from the countless bee stings he had received and, to a lesser extent, from Littlefoot's occasional attempt to fight back, coupled with the utmost humiliation that insufferable longneck and his stupid friends had put him through and his failure to retrieve Ali, had all added up to make his night a sleepless one. Utterly tired, tormented by pain and constant itching, and unable to calm his mind, he simply sat there in his sleeping spot, well hidden from curious eyes in a group of large bushes, brooding and brooding… and brooding…

* * *

It usually meant no good when these dinosaurs all met in the same place and today was no different, Grandpa Longneck mused as he and Grandma Longneck looked into the small circle, gathered around a small watering hole, consisting of Mr. Threehorn, Tria, Ducky's Mother and Petrie's Mother, all wearing varying degrees of anger, annoyance and, most of all, worry on their faces. Their kids not being home before bedtime wasn't too unusual as they had just recently allowed them, grudgingly so, to choose for themselves when to sleep as long as they would rise when being asked to in the morning and, of course, sleep with their families. It was unusual though that they all left their nests before the rays of the Bright Circle warmed the Valley, all without even mentioning a word to them. It was sort of an unwritten rule that they'd wake their parents when they left the nest early in the morning but neither of them had been woken that way on this fine morning.

Therefore, Grandpa could only conclude that neither of them had ever been at their nests which meant…

"I am afraid we might have a problem here…"

"That's putting it mildly, longneck," Topps ranted, his mood dangerously low as always when trouble arose for his family. "Our children are who knows where, we've gotta act!"

"What do you suggest?" Tria wondered. "Ranting isn't getting us anywhere, we need ideas."

"First of all, I'd like to confirm if Ali, too, is missing…" Grandpa sighed, feeling a terrible deja-vu somewhere deep in his stomach. When the girl had visited for the first time, he had fallen horribly sick and Littlefoot soon darted off with Ali to find the Night Flower for him. Arguably, he wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Littlefoot's little heroic act but it didn't change the fact that he could have gotten himself killed doing so. Grandpa was wondering if their children had gone on some sort of adventure again and Ali, whether by her presence or absence, could provide some clues about their whereabouts.

"What's that Ali girl to do with this?!" Topps thundered. "We've gotta organize a search party!"

"Ali, to my information, is a friend of our children so it wouldn't be unlikely that she is either missing too or might have a clue where they have gone to."

"Yeah, it's worth a shot," Petrie's Mother agreed, nodding to Ducky's Mother.

"Humpff!" Topps grunted while Tria rolled her eyes at the display.

"Grandma and I will check on the longneck herd and ask them for information," Grandpa announced in a weary voice.

"We suggest that you, too, ask some residents and farwalkers for any clues concerning our young ones' whereabouts," Grandma added.

"Yes, and we should regroup here once the Bright Circle has left its morning position on the sky."

"No objections, let's go," Topps barked before walking away quickly, Tria going a slightly different direction while Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer branched off somewhere else entirely. Grandpa and Grandma exchanged a glance and sighed profoundly.

"Let's hope that they're just hiding somewhere in the Valley…"

* * *

"_Almost there…"_

Cera felt her whole body ache as they finally stepped into the forests of the Great Valley. Walking back down had proved to be much harder than she thought and Littlefoot was, if anything, only getting heavier by the minute.

"_I swear, as soon as we're at Ali's nest, I'm just dropping this flathead and calling their grandparents to do the rest…"_

"How much longer do we have to walk?" Ducky eventually piped up, throwing a worried glance on Spike who seemed to reach the end of his strength as well.

"Not much further, just another stone's throw or two from here, hang in there!" Ali replied, pointing with her neck to give directions. She could already see her mother from their current position but, to her utter surprise, there were two elderly longnecks she didn't really know, unless….

"_His grandparents?!"_

Squinting her eyes, she recognized his grandfather who appeared a lot livelier than she had ever seen him. Having visited the Valley thrice now, she had only gotten to know Littlefoot's grandparents from the distance and never interacted with them. Littlefoot's Grandfather had been very sick during her first visit and it was only through her and Littlefoot's daring adventure that he was still alive, she reckoned.

"_Well, that's about to change now…"_ she mused, though an uneasy feeling quickly spread through her guts. What would these two longnecks say if they saw them carrying their injured grandson around?

Ali would soon find out.

* * *

"_How can I keep Ali away from these idiots until we move out of this stupid Great Valley?!"_

It was arguably the most profound question that had been lingering in Rhett's mind for the better part of the night. He knew Ali wouldn't listen to him and hide behind the arrogant hornface and those other pipsqueaks for the duration of their stay even if that Littlefoot would prove to be out cold for a longer period of time. Certainly, his beating should keep him from doing much for a few days as he was almost certain that he had given him a serious concussion with his final attack, however Rhett hated to rely on speculations. If only they could leave right now…

* * *

"Ali? Yes, I haven't seen her since last evening, are the others missing too? What's going on?"

Ali's mother had been quite surprised to see the two elderly longnecks who she didn't know suddenly approach and talk to her, only to learn that they were the grandparents of her daughter's best friend and, quite apparently, looking for him. All she knew was that Ali had left with Littlefoot to go to that outlook again, where they had apparently spent the previous evening as well, only to find the nest abandoned in the morning. Knowing that the Valley was a safe place and knowing that Ali had been very keen to see Littlefoot again, she hadn't thought much of her absence yet, assuming that the girl had left early for some reason though, now that these two longnecks were interrogating her about anything regarding Ali, their grandson or their friends, she had to admit that she began to feel a little uneasy.

"We do not know what's going on, I'm afraid. That's why we are here…" Grandma Longneck replied in a wary voice. "You see, our children have a habit of going on adventures that lead them out of the Great Valley. I'm sure you still remember what happened on your first visit to our Valley?"

Oh yes, she did remember. Ali had suddenly disappeared without a trace, only to return many days later with Night Flowers from the Land of Mists. She had been scolded badly back then and it had been for this reason that the Great Valley hadn't been on their migration schedule for a few years.

"Yes, of course I remember," the female answered truthfully. "Do you suspect that they've wandered off again?"

"Well, all members of their gang of friends haven't been seen by their parents neither in the evening nor this morning so we are assuming the worst case for now - that they've gone on an adventure again. If you know anything… please let us know…"

Ali's mother looked at the elderly male with concern. Considering that Ali always hung around this particular gang of friends, this was worrisome news for her as well.

"Unfortunately, I do not know more than that they've wanted to go to that outlook over there again…" She pointed towards the Great Wall which wasn't far from the residence of the herd. "However, I've only seen Ali taking Littlefoot along with her yesterday, not her other.. friends." Her hesitation didn't go unnoticed on Littlefoot's grandparents, however they were too occupied with Littlefoot's disappearance to give it any heed.

"That is certainly better than nothing, thank you," Grandpa Longneck spoke, bowing slightly to the younger longneck in a gesture of appreciation. Just as he raised his head again, some distant figures managed to engage his attention. Intrigued, he squeezed his eyes.

* * *

"Hey, Littlefoot's folks are actually here!" Cera eventually panted when she, too, took notice of the two elderly longnecks. "That makes this whole thing a lot easier…"

"Yeah, that's some good luck, some good luck it is!" Ruby sang with a smile.

"Let's hurry, they've seen us by now," Ali proposed eagerly.

"Yeah, I'm tired to carrying Bigfoot here all the way through the Valley anyway!" Cera said in a snarky comment, utilizing her last strength to march towards the longnecks whose eyes went wide open when they realized what they were doing…

* * *

"What in the name of the Bright Circle are they doing?" Grandma Longneck puzzled as her mate nudged her and pointed at the approaching group. Granted, these kids had pulled a lot of funny stunts in the past but she just couldn't comprehend why they'd walk around carrying something as if abiding by some strange ritual. As soon as they were within hearing range, though, she began to realize just what they were carrying...

"LITTLEFOOT!" the two elderly longnecks shouted in unison, leaping and covering the remaining distance in no time with a speed seeming almost impossible for a dinosaur so old.

"Littlefoot!" Grandma Longneck cried as she arrived at the gang who had stopped dead in their tracks now. Carefully, Cera and Spike took a few steps back while everyone else was carrying Littlefoot's weight with their hands (and Ali with her neck), slowly putting him to the ground. Immediately, the two longnecks were bowing over his beaten body, wailing as they saw the condition their grandson was in. Although, their demeanor changed somewhat when they realized that Littlefoot was simply out cold and very well alive.

"Ali, what on earth happened to your friend?" Ali's mother interrogated with a rather stern expression. "He looks like he fell down a mountain!"

Ali jerked slightly as she was reminded of her dream at the mention of Littlefoot's condition, however this was a bad time to reminisce in those horrible pictures.

"Children, I thank you for bringing him back here with this… I must admit, brilliant construction of yours but…" Grandpa Longneck spoke as he attempted to regain some of the composure and dignity that usually accompanied his presence. "Just what did you do this time?"

"And what happened to our Littlefoot?!" Grandma Longneck demanded who, other than her mate, wasn't composed at all.

"Littlefoot's been attacked!" Ali spoke up at once, stepping in front of everyone. She had spent the better part of their journey back down to ponder about a way to present their made-up story in a believable way. It hadn't been easy as the odds of Littlefoot's friends looking up at the outlook by chance were very low but she eventually managed to weave it all together into a story which she was now telling the Grandparents.

"The two of us wanted to go to that outlook again because you can see the blinky lights so nice and clear from there. But… we were followed; it was Rhett!"

"Rhett?" Grandpa Longneck wondered.

"Yes, Rhett!" Cera chimed in, spitting out his name like a treestar that tasted really awful.

"Rhett is a longneck our age who's a member of my herd," Ali explained quickly though she started blushing at her next words. "He's… see, he's quite interested in me but, uhh, you see… I'm… I like Littlefoot and I think he perceived him as a threat and started stalking us…"

"Ali invited us to join them last night, yes she did," Ducky piped up with a sad undertone.

"Yea, but when we arrived, this Rhett guy was beating Littlefoot to a pulp like a maniac!" Cera shouted dramatically. "Of course I chased him away!"

"And I scared him!" Chomper added with a toothy grin.

"But Littlefoot was hurt quite badly at that time already, quite hurt he was," Ruby said apprehensively. "I quickly gathered some healing leaves against bleeding and tried to patch him up as good as I could since that's all I could do."

"It was a brutal assault; I... had to watch it all…" Ali said in a meek voice. "I was so glad when the others finally arrived because I-I couldn't have stopped Rhett…"

"So, what you are saying is that Littlefoot has been attacked by another longneck that's a member of your herd, Ali?" Grandpa Longneck questioned the girl in a calm but pointed voice.

"Y-yes, that's what happened," Ali replied a little shyly, hoping that the old dinosaurs wouldn't see through her lie. It was then that the others jumped in to help make the tale more credible.

"We couldn't leave him alone when he was so hurt so we spent the night with him instead of returning home," Cera explained matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, and we were all too shocked to think about sending one of us to let you know about the incident until now, yes we were…" Ducky sighed.

"Well, again, I thank you kids for bringing him here," Grandpa Longneck sighed as he began to realize what this situation would likely require. He felt anger rising inside him, an emotion he rarely used by someone had injured his grandson quite gravely, how grave he couldn't yet fathom, and this Rhett dinosaur wouldn't get away with this atrocity.

"We will need to set a lot of things into motion immediately so I am asking for a few things now." The old longneck took a deep breath and exhaled in a profound sigh.

"Grandma, please take him back to our nest and take good care of him as I handle the rest."

Grandma Longneck nodded solemnly, walking up to the sleeping boy and gently wrapping her tail around him to lift him onto her back with little effort, although she didn't leave just yet.

"Ruby, you will run to the small watering hole that's not far from the Threehorn's nest," Grandpa instructed in a stern voice. "Wait until the parents of your friends return and relay them the message that everyone is safe and found, however due to Littlefoot's injury, a meeting will have to be called immediately. Petrie's mother will know what to do."

Ruby nodded and departed immediately from the scene, living up to her species' name.

"Kids, you will have to stick around me until further notice since you are the only ones who have seen what has happened to Littlefoot," he spoke with a heavy sigh. "Your word will be needed in the meeting."

"Does that mean…" Cera prompted.

"Is Rhett g-going to be in trouble?" Ali asked shyly.

"Of course he is!" Ali's mother had been quietly observing the conversation until now. "Attacking someone from our generous hosts like that… Old One will be furious to hear about this…"

"I was about to ask you, could you arrange a meeting with your leader? I would like to discuss things with Old One before putting Rhett to trial for his actions…"

"Putting him… to trial?" Ducky gasped.

"He has done a terrible, atrocious thing!" Ali's mother growled. "I should have informed Old One right way after Ali told me about his suspicious behavior…"

"We may be biased since this is affecting our family," Grandma spoke in a tired voice. "But this sort of behavior simply can't be tolerated in a place like the Great Valley where we all live together in relative harmony and peace."

"I absolutely agree," Ali's mother sighed in exasperation. "Well, if you'd like to follow me, I'm going to arrange an audience with our leader immediately."

"That would be much appreciated," Grandpa said in an appreciative way. "Kids, you must be tired after carrying our Littlefoot all the way down here, hop on, don't be shy."

"Oh, that is very kind, yes it is!" Ducky cheered, immediately taking the offer and climbing the old longneck's tail, followed by Petrie, Chomper and Spike. Cera seemed to be conflicted for a few seconds before she, too, took the offer with a grain of salt.

"If my dad sees me riding on a longneck, he's going to kick me out of the family…" she muttered much to the amusement of everyone present. Now only Ali remained rooted on the spot.

"I think he invited you too, dear," her mother spoke, giving her daughter a soft nudge. "Unless, would you rather ride on me?"

Ali was a little unsure about riding on Littlefoot's grandfather who she'd just barely met but, compared to riding on her mother which was nothing short of embarrassing, she eventually chose to trot over to the elderly longneck and climb up too.

"It is perfectly fine, I owe all of you that Littlefoot isn't in an even worse shape right now," Grandpa Longneck spoke, attempting to smile despite the grave situation. As a matter of fact, a little chuckle was just what he needed at the moment.

"And, moreover, I have a feeling that Ali might one day be family…maybe we should get acquainted."

"_Well, that's certainly true,"_ Cera mused, stifling a giggle while Ali's face took on a very dark shade of pink.

"Well, I'm going to tag along as well," Grandma spoke, her gaze resting on the sleeping longneck on her back. "I believe Old One may want to see Littlefoot to have a better judgement of the situation. He should be comfortable on my back for now."

"Alright, let's go then."

* * *

**Here's the next chapter, a rather uneventful one to be frank. This is basically the transition from the fight to its consequences... **

**As always, let me know if something's odd :)**

**By the way, I got a little stuck a few chapters ahead which is the reason for my current hiatus on this story. Hopefully, I will be able to break through my writer's block soon :)**

* * *

Story ideas chapter 8 . Oct 20, 2019

Glad to see you finally continue this story, it was intense as I had thought though you shouldn't have really put in the profanity, please have Rhett get the punishment he deserves and have Littlefoot be alright, and whatever plans you have for the next chapters, I hope it will be more great then something bad happening to the gang.

**I've been told that the language was too harsh. The way I interpret the relationship between Rhett and Littlefoot here, I don't think it is from a story-based point of view. However, it certainly is for any average Land before time story, I agree with you there.**

**I'm sorry for making you wait so long but I simply can't write as much as I would like to and writer's block is even more severe when you don't really have time to sit down and do brainstorming _ I hope you understand.**

* * *

hadiginga chapter 8 . Oct 25, 2019

I want rhett to be kick out of the herd I want him to suffer from what he did to littlefoot

**Hope I'll be able to pick up the story again soon so you can finally see if that happens or not.**

* * *

Guest chapter 8 . Oct 30, 2019

Given how the last response section nearly constituted its own chapter, hopefully this review will be a bit shorter. As for my thoughts on this recent development I like that the dialogue was relatively short. Even when it was longer, it remained emotionally charged which definitely helped with the flow of the fight scene so you could still convey information without losing momentum. You make a valid argument about why they can't be completely in accordance with their normal portrayals given the circumstances they're in, excellent point about Ducky in 8, so I feel no need to elaborate there but as for the questions you raised, yes I think Rhett went too far. That being said, Rhett went too far when he stalked and harassed our longneck couple. His actions hear are just a significant escalation past a line he'd long since crossed.

As for whether or not the gang went too far, I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, this chapter legitimately angered me, albeit in a good way, and a part of me wishes they'd gone farther when driving him off. After hearing that Rhett has the audacity to think of Ali as nothing more than a walking cloaca, I honestly wouldn't have minded if he fell off that cliff to his death. Of course none of the gang would never actually go as far as to kill him, and I'm not suggesting they should, but my hatred of Rhett still stands. Alternatively, I'm glad that Ali still expressed her distaste for this plan and wanted to get the adults involved some other way. I agree with her sentiment, even though there's no way of knowing if doing so would actually help in the long term.

Speaking of Ali, I loved the ending here. I never get tired of seeing her assertive moments, and here she not only stepped in front of Littlefoot to protect him but also went as far as to slap Rhett for his disrespect while directly challenging him despite the potential consequences. The selfless acts she performs in the conclusion of this chapter are not only completely in character for her but also perfectly demonstrate why she's my best girl.

Ultimately, while this plan is excessive and a bit misguided in its methods, I can see why the gang would carry this out as a last resort. We have to remember that while this story takes their burgeoning maturity into account, unlike the later films and especially the TV series, they're still adolescents and thus in a more exaggerated mindset. You did well balancing brutality and triumph in this chapter Evil Swimmer, keep it up.

**Thank you! We already talked this over back then so I will not say much in response but thanks for your review as always :)**


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